Indonesia, September 19 2010, 2 days tour, second day, Barong Dance.

Next morning after breakfast, we went all to see the Barong dance. It was close to first place we went the day before.

The Barong is a mystic creature representing the welfare and the forces existing on earth. The opposite of him is Rangda, queen of the witches and representing the evil.

The Balinese believe that these two powers coexist side by side.

The story tells about Prince Sadewa who will be scarified to Batari Durga goddess of the death.

The prime minister enters the scene followed by the queen, mother of prince Sadewa. The queen is upset to have to scarify her son. The witch worried that she changes her mind, touches the queen with the magic scepter. The queen gets instantly angry and orders the prime minister to bring the prince to the cemetery were the goddess of the death leaves.


But the prime minister loves the prince and refuses to obey the queen. The witch touches him too and he gets angry.

He brings the prince to the cemetery and ties him at the tree in front of the temple of death.

God Siwa dressed in priest sees the prince tied at the tree. Pitiful he makes the prince immortal.

Comes Batari Durga and wants the instant death of the prince, but he’s immortal. The witch realizes her defeat and asks Sadewa to kill her to redeem, what he does.


Kaleka principal priest of Batary Durga also wants to redeem, but Sadewa refuses. Kaleka uses her magic power and changes in a bear to attack Sadewa, unsuccessful to kill him; she changes in a big bird, still unsuccessful. Finally she changes herself in the powerful witch Rangda.

She is too powerful for Sadewa who changes himself in Barong. They fight together and nobody wins. The Barong call’s his disciple.

The Barong’s men appear with their magic dagger called “Kris” and attack Rangda. She bewitches them and the anger of the Barong’s men turns again themselves to plunge the Kris in their chest. The men get in trance and the Kris can’t kill nor hurt them.



The Barong gets the men out of the Ranga’s trance, the dance ends, and the priest blesses the men with sacred water to get them out of the trance.


Boas, the alder son of Martin was quite impressed by the dragon.