May 22, 2021
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Randga, called the Dancing witch.

Origin

Balinese Mythology

 

A fierce sorceress Queen of Balinese myth. Randa which means widow is depicted as near naked with long hair and nails. Her immortal opponent is the King Barong. The combat between Rangdo and Barong acted out in bellany's dance always ends with the wrong vanquishing rangda. Rangdum may have originated in Notorious 11th century Queen of Bali.

 

Rangda is the demon queen of the leyaks in Bali, according to traditional Balinese mythology. Terrifying to behold, the child-eating Rangda leads an army of evil witches against the leader of the forces of good, Barong.

 

It is suggested that Rangda may be derived from the 11th century Javan queen Mahendradatta who was exiled by the king, Dharmodayana, for allegedly practicing witchcraft. The tale surrounding this is that she proceeded to take her revenge by killing off half the kingdom, which by then belonged to her and Dharmodayana's son Erlangga, with plague before being overcome by a holy man. The name Rangda itself means "widow" in old Javanese and Balinese language. It may also be associated with the legend of a demon queen named Calon Arang, who wreaked havoc in late 10th century Java, during the reign of Airlangga.

 

Rangda is important in Balinese culture, and performances depicting her struggles with Barong or with Airlangga in that tale are popular tourist attractions as well as tradition. She is depicted as a mostly nude old woman, with long and unkempt hair, pendulous breasts and claws. Her face is traditionally a horrifying fanged and goggle-eyed mask, with a long, protruding tongue.

 

It has been suggested that Rangda may be closely associated with the Hindu warrior mother goddess Durga, or the black goddess of destruction Kali, given that Bali is a Hindu island. While Rangda is mainly seen as fearsome and a personification of evil, she is also seen as a protective figure in some parts of Bali. The colors associated with Rangda are red, black and white, and these colors are also associated with Kali, and her iconography is also similar to Kali. Mahendradatta, the queen Rangda might be based on, was known for her devotion to the cult of Durga in Bali.