"Memada-mada": The power relation and architectural creativity of gianyar palace

Abstract

Balinese royal palaces’ forms illustrate the evolving nature of the kingdom's political control and the strategies used by its rulers to foster the stability of its territory. Although every kingdom has opportunities to demonstrate its authority through architecture and layout, architectural hierarchy is presented from the form of architectural productions, including the traditional gate called kori agung among palaces called puris, especially the architectural form in palaces of Gianyar. This phenomenon has risen to the questions on how far the authority power influences the architectural form. Are there any other elements that influence the architectural form design in Gianyar? Drawing from seventeenth-through twentieth-century photographs, correspondences and collected oral traditions, this paper explores the oral traditions and power relationships among the kingdoms that influence the layout and form of the palace’s architectural production called puri in Gianyar Bali. This paper found that the phrase “memada-mada” has influenced the architecture of palaces in Gianyar, especially the kori agung. The term refers to attempting to avoid performing the same or greater acts as those with a higher status.