Quick Facts
Biography
Dewa Agung Istri Kanya (died 1868) was queen regnant of Bali from 1814 to 1850; she was known as the "Virgin Queen of Klungkung." Her father and co-regent was Dewa Agung Putra I. Her mother was Gusti Ayu Karang. Gusti Ayu Karang invented new conditions for Dewa Agung Istri Kanya to become the "Virgin Queen of Klungkung" in later times.
After a disease epidemic, Dewa Agung Istri Kanya and her brother were sponsors of the restoration of the old palace of Klungkung, and also supported the state temples. She sponsored priests to write poetry, and wrote some herself.
In 1849 the Dutch suffered heavy casualties when she led a night offensive against them in Kusamba, killing the commander Major General Michiels. The Dutch were forced to retreat in haste to their ships, confronted by a force of 33,000 Balinese from Badung, Gianyar, Tabanan and Klungkung. This resulted in a stalemate.
A poem about her, titled "Dewa Agung Istri Kanya", is in the book Feminist Poems by Nancy Quinn Collins, published in 2016.