Gedong Kirtya library was founded in 1928 by the Dutch in what was then their colonial capital of the
Lesser Sunda Islands
The Lesser Sunda Islands or nowadays known as Nusa Tenggara Islands ( id, Kepulauan Nusa Tenggara, formerly ) are an archipelago in Maritime Southeast Asia, north of Australia. Together with the Greater Sunda Islands to the west they make up t ...
,
Singaraja, and named for the
Sanskrit word 'to try'. It is in the complex of Sasana Budaya, the old palace of the
Buleleng Kingdom.
In its collection are
lontar manuscripts (written on dried leaves of the
rontal palm), ''prasasti'' (inscribed on copper plates) and manuscripts on paper in Balinese and Roman characters including documents from the colonial period (1901-1953).
Ex Bupati of Buleleng Dr Ketut Wirata Sindhu is upgrading the library into a full museum. When completed, the museum will cover the entire Sasana Budaya complex.
References
* ''Bali'', Lonely Planet(2003)
Libraries in Indonesia
Balinese culture
Buildings and structures in Bali
Organizations based in Bali
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