Karangasem Regency (Indonesian: Kabupaten Karangasem; Balinese: ᬓᬪᬹᬧᬢᬾ​ᬦ᭄ ᬓᬭᬗᬲᭂᬫ᭄, Kabupatén Karangasĕm) is a regency (kabupaten) of the province of Bali, Indonesia. It covers the east part of Bali, has an area of . It is bordered by Buleleng Regency and Bangli Regency to its west and Klungkung Regency to its south, and the Indian Ocean to its south, the Bali Sea and the Java Sea to its north and the Lombok Strait to its east. The population of the regency as of mid-2024 was 538,390.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, Kabupaten Karangasem Dalam Angka 2025 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5107) Its regency seat is the town of Amlapura.

Karangasem was devastated when Mount Agung erupted in 1963, killing 1,900 people. Karangasem was a kingdom before Bali was conquered by the Dutch.

Etymology The name Karangasem actually comes from the word Karang Semadi. Several notes containing the origin of the name karangasem are as expressed in the Sading C Inscription found in Geria Mandara, Munggu, Mengwi, Badung. It is further revealed that Mount Lempuyang in the northeast of Amlapura, was originally named Adri Karang which means Mount Karang.

The inscription tells that in the year 1072 Saka, the 12th day of the bright half-month, Wuku Julungwangi in the month of Cetra, Bathara Guru ordered one of his sons Sri Maharaja Jayasakti or Hyang Agnijaya to descend to Bali. The task carried out as quoted in the inscription reads "...gumawyeana Dharma rikang Adri Karang maka rakhayuan ing Jagat Bangsul...", which means "coming to Adri Karang to build a Temple (Dharma) to provide physical and spiritual safety for the Island of the Gods".

Hyang Agnijaya is said to have come with his brothers, namely Sambhu, Brahma, Indra, and Wisnu in Adri Karang (Mount Lempuyang to the northeast of the city of Amlapura). Mount Lempuyang was chosen by Bathara Guru as a place to spread His love for the salvation of mankind.

In historical research on the existence of temples, Lempuyang is connected to the word lampu which means chosen, and Hyang which means God (Bathara Guru, Hyang Parameswara). It was in Adri Karang that Hyang Agnijaya made the Lempuyang Luhur Temple as a place to meditate (Karang Semadi). Gradually the name Karang Semadi changed to Karangasem.History of the Karangasem Kingdom

History In the 16th to 17th centuries, Karangasem was under the rule of the Gelgel Dynasty from Klungkung. The dynasty’s king was I Dewa Karangamla who was based in Selagumi (Balepunduk). I Dewa Karangamla married the widow of I Gusti Arya Batanjeruk, the patih (pm) of the kingdom who rebelled and was killed in Bungaya Village, on the condition that after their second marriage, the son of Batanjeruk's widow would become the ruler. This condition was agreed to and then I Dewa Karangamla's family moved from Selagumi to Batuaya. I Dewa Karangamla also had a son from his other wife named I Dewa Gde Batuaya. The transfer of power to the son of Batanjeruk's widow marked the beginning of the Karangasem Kingdom which was held by the Batanjeruk Dynasty. Karangasem led by the Batanjeruk dynasty then began to expand its territory both inside and outside the island.

Conquest of Lombok, Buleleng and Jembrana

After King I Gusti Anglurah Ketut Karangasem died, the government of the Karangasem Kingdom was held by I Gusti Gede Karangasem (Dewata di Tohpati) between 1801 and 1806. At that time the territory of the Karangasem Kingdom grew larger, expanding its power to Buleleng and Jembrana. After his death, I Gusti Gede Ngurah Karangasem was replaced by his son named I Gusti Lanang Peguyangan who was also known as I Gusti Gede Lanang Karangasem.

The victory of the Buleleng Kingdom against the power of the Karangasem Kingdom caused the king of Karangasem, I Gusti Lanang Peguyangan, to step aside and at that time the Karangasem Kingdom was again controlled by the king of Buleleng, I Dewa Pahang. Power was finally recaptured by I Gusti Lanang Peguyangan. The rebellion of a punggawa of the kingdom named I Gusti Bagus Karang in 1827 succeeded in overthrowing I Gusti Lanang Peguyangan so that he fled to Lombok, and the throne of the Karangasem Kingdom was held by I Gusti Bagus Karang.

When I Gusti Bagus Karang died in attacking Lombok, at the same time the king of Buleleng, I Gusti Ngurah Made Karangasem, succeeded in conquering Karangasem and appointed his son-in-law I Gusti Gede Cotong as king of Karangasem. After I Gusti Gede Cotong was killed due to a power struggle, the throne of Karangasem was continued by the cousin of the king of Buleleng, I Gusti Ngurah Gede Karangasem.

Groups of Balinese nobles from the Karangasem Kingdom then began to control the western part of Lombok Island. One of them, the Bali-Mataram group, managed to control more than the other Bali groups, and eventually even controlled the entire island in 1839.Colonial collections revisited By Pieter ter Keurs p.190ffSoutheast Asia: a historical encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East ..., Volume 3 by Keat Gin Ooi p.790ffPriests and programmers by John Stephen Lansing p.20 Since then, Balinese court culture has also developed in Lombok.

On August 25, 1891, the son of the ruler of Bali-Mataram, Anak Agung Ketut Karangasem, was sent, along with 8,000 soldiers, to crush a rebellion in Praya, which was part of the Selaparang Kingdom. On September 8, 1891, a second force, under another son, Anak Agung Made Karangasem, with a strength of 3,000 men was sent as additional troops. Because the royal army seemed to be having difficulty in overcoming the situation, the help of the subordinate ruler of Karangasem, namely Anak Agung Gede Jelantik, was again requested to send 1,200 elite troops to end the rebellion. The war raged on from 1891 to 1894, and the Bali-Mataram army, which was more sophisticated in its weaponry, equipped with two modern warships, Sri Mataram and Sri Cakra, succeeded in occupying many rebellious villages and surrounding the

On 8 November 1894, the Dutch systematically fired cannons on Balinese positions at Cakranegara, destroying the palace, killing around 2,000 Balinese, while losing 166 themselves. By the end of November 1894, the Dutch had defeated all Balinese resistance, with thousands of Balinese killed, surrendering, or performing the puputan ritual. Lombok and Karangasem then became part of the Dutch East Indies, and the government was run from Bali. Gusti Gede Jelantik was appointed as Regent by the Dutch in 1894, and he ruled until 1908.The rough guide to Bali & Lombok by Lesley Reader, Lucy Ridout p.298

Colonial period Dutch occupation period

After the arrival of Netherlands, it also brought influence in terms of government bureaucracy. In 1906, in Bali there were three forms of government, namely:

Rechtstreeks bestuurd gebied (direct government) covering Buleleng, Jembrana, and Lombok Zelfbestuurend landschappen (self-government) were Badung, Tabanan, Klungkung, and Bangli Stedehouder (representative of the Dutch government) were Gianyar and Karangasem

Thus in the Karangasem Kingdom, the successive Stedehouder (ruler) were I Gusti Gede Jelantik in 1894–1908, and Stedehouder I Gusti Bagus Jelantik who had the title Anak Agung Agung Anglurah Ketut Karangasem (Dewata di Maskerdam) in 1908–1950, which was in charge of 21 Punggawa, namely Karangasem, Seraya, Bugbug, Ababi, Abang, Culik, Kubu, Tianyar, Pesedahan, Manggis, Antiga, Ulakan, Bebandem.History of Karangasem Regency and Amlapura City With the Decree of Governor General of the Dutch East Indies dated December 16, 1921, No. 27 Stbl. No. 756 in 1921, starting from January 1, 1922, Gouvernements Lanschap Karangasem was abolished, changed into an autonomous region, directly under the Government of Dutch East Indies, Karangasem Raad was formed which was chaired by Regent I Gusti Bagus Jelantik, while the Secretary was held by Controleur Karangasem.

As Regent, I Gusti Bagus Jelantik still used the title Stedehouder. The number of Punggawa which previously numbered 14 was reduced again to 8, namely: Rendang, Selat, Sidemen, Bebandem, Manggis, Karangasem, Abang, Kubu. With the Decree of Governor General of the Dutch East Indies dated September 4, 1928, No. 1, the title Stedehouder was replaced with the title Anak Agung Agung Anglurah Ketut Karangasem. By Decree Governor General of the Dutch East Indies dated June 30, 1938, No. 1 effective from July 1, 1938, he was appointed as Zelfbestuur Karangasem (head of autonomous). Along with the formation of the Karangasem Zelfbestuur, starting from July 1, 1938, the Zelfbestuur–Zelfbestuur were also formed throughout Bali, namely Klungkung, Bangli, Gianyar, Badung, Tabanan, Jembrana and Buleleng, where the rulers of the autonomous regions (Zelfbestuur) were united in a federation of kings called Paruman Agung.

In socio-cultural life, due to the influence of education obtained in the 19th century, many young intellectuals in various regions in Bali established youth, religious and scientific associations and organizations. In 1925, in Singaraja an association was established called "Suryakanta" and had a magazine also called "Suryakanta". Suryakanta wanted the Balinese people to progress in knowledge and eliminate customs that were no longer in accordance with the times. Meanwhile, in Karangasem an association was born called "Satya Samudaya Baudanda Bali-Lombok" whose members consisted of civil servants and the general public with the aim of saving and collecting money for the benefit of studiefonds.

Japanese occupation period After going through several battles, the Japanese army landed on Sanur Beach, Badung, on February 18–19, 1942. From the direction of Sanur, the Japanese army entered the city of Denpasar without experiencing any resistance. Then, from Denpasar, Japan controlled all of Bali, including Karangasem. First of all, the Japanese Army (Rikugun) laid the foundation for Japanese rule in Bali. Then, when the situation was stable, control of the government was handed over to the civil government. When Japan entered Bali, Paruman Agung or the council of Balinese kings was changed to Sutyo Renmei.

Independence period In 1945 after Japan surrendered and the independence of the Republic of Indonesia, Bali became part of the Government of the State of East Indonesia. The State of East Indonesia was dissolved and all its territories merged into the Republic of Indonesia on August 17, 1950. The autonomous government (kingdom) in Bali was changed to the Council of Kings with its seat in Denpasar and chaired by a king. In October 1950, the Karangasem Swapraja government took the form of the Karangasem Government Council, chaired by the chairman of the Daily Government Council held by the Head of Swapraja (King) and assisted by members of the Daily Government Assembly.

In 1951, the term Member of the Daily Government Assembly was changed to Member of the Karangasem Government Council. Based on Law No. 69 of 1958, effective from 1 December 1958, the autonomous regions in Bali were changed to Level II Regions at the regency level, including Karangasem.

Geography

Karangasem is a regency located at the easternmost tip of Bali Island. Astronomically, this regency is located at 8°00'00"–8°41'37.8" South Latitude and 115°35'9.8"–115°54'8.9" East Longitude. The area of Karangasem Regency is 839.54 km² or 83,954 Ha consisting of 8 Districts, 75 villages, and 3 sub-districts. The sub-districts in Karangasem Regency include: Rendang, Sidemen, Manggis, Karangasem, Abang, Bebandem, Selat, and Kubu Districts.

Border The borders of Karangasem Regency are as follows:

Southern Banjarangkan District Klungkung District Dawan District, Klungkung Regency Indian Ocean Western Tejakula District, Buleleng Regency Kintamani Tembuku District, Bangli Regency Banjarangkan District Banjarangkan District Klungkung District Dawan District, Klungkung Regency Bali Sea Java Sea Eastern Lombok Strait

Topography