# Karangasem Regency

Karangasem Regency (Indonesian: Kabupaten Karangasem; Balinese: ᬓᬩᬸᬧᬢᬾᬦ᭄ᬓᬭᬂᬳᬲᭂᬫ᭄) is a regency (kabupaten) of the island and province of Bali, Indonesia. It covers the east part of Bali, has an area of 839.54 km$^2$ and had a population of 396,487 at the 2010 Census which rose to 492,402 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 511,300. 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.

## History

The history of Karangasem cannot be separated from the history of the founding of the Karangasem Kingdom. The name Karangasem actually comes from the word Karang Semadi. Some records that contain the origin of the name Karangasem are as revealed in the Sading C Inscription found in Geria Mandara, Munggu, Badung. It is further revealed that Mount Lempuyang in the northeast of Amlapura, was originally named Adri Karang which means Karang Mountain or Coral Mountain.
In the historical research of the existence of the temple, Lempuyang is associated with the word Lampu which means chosen, and Hyang which means God (Bathara Guru, Hyang Parameswara). In Adri Karang, Hyang Agnijaya made Lempuyang Luhur Temple as a place to meditate (Karang Semadi). Gradually the name Karang Semadi changed to Karangasem.

## Administrative districts

The regency is divided into eight districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and population totals at the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2022. All districts share the same name as their administrative centres. The table also includes the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 75 rural desa and 3 urban kelurahan - the latter all in Karangasem District), and its postal codes.
| Kode Wilayah | Name of District (kecamatan) | Area in km$^2$ | Pop'n Census 2010 | Pop'n Census 2020 | Pop'n Estimate mid 2022 | No. of villages | Post codes |
| 51.07.01 | Rendang | 109.70 | 36,931 | 41,782 | 42,600 | 6 | 80863 |
| 51.07.02 | Sidemen | 35.15 | 31,617 | 37,045 | 38,000 | 10 | 80864 |
| 51.07.03 | Manggis | 69.83 | 44,041 | 54,608 | 56,700 | 12 | 80871 |
| 51.07.04 | Karangasem (district) $^{(a)}$ | 94.23 | 82,606 | 100,036 | 103,300 | 11 $^{(b)}$ | 80811 -80813 |
| 51.07.05 | Abang | 134.05 | 60,965 | 80,345 | 84,300 | 14 | 80852 |
| 51.07.06 | Bebandem | 81.51 | 45,160 | 54,941 | 56,800 | 8 | 80861 |
| 51.07.07 | Selat | 80.35 | 38,114 | 44,284 | 45,400 | 8 | 80862 |
| 51.07.08 | Kubu | 234.72 | 57,053 | 79,361 | 84,200 | 9 | 80853 |
| | Totals | 839.54 | 396,487 | 492,402 | 511,300 | 76 | |
Note: (a) including 6 small offshore islands. (b) including 3 kelurahan - the towns of Karangasem, Subagan and Padang Kerta.

## Tourism

Interesting places include:
* The major Pura Besakih Hindu temple, sometimes called the Mother Temple of Besakih.
* Mount Agung, the highest peak in Bali.
* Telaga Waja River, the only rafting spot in eastern Bali.
* Tenganan "the original Bali", a Bali Aga village whose inhabitants have kept many of their ancient traditions.
* Amed, a beach town.
* Tulamben, a dive site.
* Candidasa, a starting point for visiting the east coast of Bali. East of Candidasa is the village of Bugbug, whose inhabitants celebrate the Perang Dawa (war of the gods) every other year on the full moon of the fourth month, October.
* Prasi Beach in Prasi village, known as Pantai Pasir Putih (White Sand Beach) or Virgin Beach. This beach is mainly free of crowds, less polluted, and popular for swimming or snorkeling from April to October.
* Ujung Water Palace, built by the King Anak Agung Agung Anglurah Ketut Karangasem.
* Tirta Gangga water palace.
* Puri Agung Karangasem, collectively several royal palaces of the Karangasem kingdom.
* Budakeling, an area where both Hindus and Muslims live. Saren Jawa village is home to 100 Muslim families, surrounded by Balinese Hindu villages following the Siwa-Buda belief system, which is a combination of Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism. The people of Saren Jawa use Balinese first names before their Muslim last names, such as Ni Nyoman Maimunah.
* Seraya Village, which keeps the Gebug Ende tradition related to scarcity of water during drought season.
* Mencol Hill, the eastern-most hill on Bali island. It is known as a sunrise viewpoint; the temple at the peak of the grassy hill has a view to the east coast and Gili Selang islet.