Calong Arang the witch in Balinese theatrical dance.
In Girah, a small village in the kingdom of Kahuripan (1009-1042), lived a girl whose name was Ratna Mangali. Even though she was very beautiful, people were reluctant to take her as a wife because her mother was a famous witch, the widow Calon Arang who practiced black magic.
The wrath of the black magic widow[]
Although very beautiful, nobody wanted to marry Ratna Mangali. People were afraid of Calon Arang. This made the witch angry.
So one night, the witch and her students kidnapped a young girl, took her to a shrine and killed her as an offering to goddess Durga. They danced and danced the whole night, jumping around like devils.
Goddess Durga appeared beforecalon Arang and her students, She accepted their offering and asked them what they wanted. Calon Arang asked her to take a revenge to the villagers for not wanting to take her daughter as a wife. The goddess fulfilled her wish. Several days later a flood came to the village which killed many villagers. They also suffered strange illness and died horribly. Nobody were spared. There were dead bodies everywhere in the village and even in neighboring villages.
King Airlangga's action[]
King Airlangga (990-1049), the king of Kahuripan, heard the news about the witch. So in order to restore peace, he sent his two officers to kill Calon Arang.
At night, where everybody were asleep, the two officers sneaked into the widow's residence. They hold the witch's hair and preparing to decapitate her head. The witch woke up. Fire came out from her eyes, ears and mouth, burning one of the officers. The other officers managed to run away and report this to King Airlangga.
The witch became angrier than ever. Again she and her students made a ritual to call goddess Durga. She asked for more death to the people of Kahuripan kingdom. The Goddess fulfilled her wish. More strange death happened to the people of Kahuripan.
Mpu Baradah and Bahula[]
Hearing this, King Airlangga called a Hindu priest Mpu Baradah and asked him to end this problem. So, Mpu Baradah ordered his student, Bahula, to go to Girah to marry Ratna Mangali.
Calon Arang as Rangda the queen of leak in Balinese dance.
The marriage was a big one as Calon Arang was happy that someone finally wanted to marry her daughter. A feast was held for seven days and seven nights. And after that peace was restored again.
But Bahula had a mission from his teacher to find Calon Arang's book of witchcraft. Without the book, the witch's power would be greatly reduced and she would be easily beaten. So, every night he searched calon arang's house for the book and one day he found it. He left girah to give the book to Mpu Baradah.
The demise of the witch[]
Knowing that her book was gone, calon arang was mad. She decided to kill Mpu Baradah. In the fight against Mpu Baradah, she tried to burn him with the fire from his eyes, mouth and nose, but not even Mpu baradah's clothing was burnt. Without the book, she could not summon goddess Durga to help her, so she was powerless aganst the Hindu priest. Mpu Baradah asked her to change her way and use her power for goodness but she rejected him. So, Mpu Baradah killed her with his magical power. This is the end of the life of the black magic widow Calon Arang.