Kertha Gosa is an old building of jurisdiction and legislation and is one of the main areas in Bali that has been important throughout history in the development of modern Bali. Located within the district of Klungkung in the north of the island and is an excellent and grand old area with amazing history. The words Kertha Gosa mean peaceful announcement which has been the prime focus of the Kertha Gosa throughout history. The inside and outside of the Kertha Gosa and all around it there is some amazing art in the form of paintings and carvings of wood and stone. This is an area unlike the temples of Bali and the feel is very different. Here at the Kertha Gosa the focus is on power and the importance of the legal system as it was here that trials and penalization was carried out. When inside the Kertha Gosa it is easy to feel how it must have been in the old days when the trials and deep discussions on the politics of the area where carried out. The Kertha Gosa is not only of great cultural value but many of the artifacts and artwork that is inside the building has been deemed extremely valuable although obviously it will remain inside.

At the Kertha Gosa there is also the floating building of Taman Gill which stands on the fish pond just next to the main building of Kertha Gosa. This is a building also concerned with the upkeep of the law which traditionally included the death penalty. When the Dutch invaded and colonized Bali in 1908 they did away with the capital punishment and introduced a more modern system of fines and imprisonment. After the independence of Indonesia the laws have changed again all though the Kertha Gosa is now not used as a place of court. Now the laws that govern Bali are the laws of Indonesia and do include the death penalty for serious crimes. The entrance to the Kertha Gosa is a deep red temple like entrance that is built to keep the bad spirits away from the preceding as with any important area in Bali which goes by the rule that in Bali ghosts can not turn corners and therefore can not make it round the gateways. There are also some statues and pictures around the outside of the Kertha Gosa in order to appease the spirits so they will not try and come into the buildings where the important decisions are being made.

The Kertha Gosa can be visited as part of tour of the Klungkung area and is an excellent and unique stop off either as part of the organized tour or a separate trip in itself. There are also a few tourist facilities around although generally it is not often visited meaning you may have the place to yourself and will experience minimum hassle form the touts and hawkers that are almost inexistent in Bali.