CALONARANG

This is a semi historical story taking place sometime during the reign of King Airlangga in East Java, in the 11^th century. Calonarang herself is quite unknown except that she is said to be a widow-witch from the village of Dirah. She lives with her only daughter Ratna Manggali, who is said to be very beautiful.

Very often Calonarang practices her magic power in the middle of the village cross-roads, and so the village is always in trouble. Many people have died of her pestilences while others were living in fear. Knowing that his people were in trouble the king then asked a great ascetic of Lemah Tulis, named Empu Beradah, to solve this problem. The priest, who also has a great magic powers, then orders his son Bahula to marry Ratna Manggali and get the secret of her mother’s magic powers.Ratna Manggali steals the lontar palm-leaves herself, where her mother’s magic power is inscribed in the form of magic sentences, and gives them to her husband, by whom then it is given to Empu Baradah to be read. After reading the secret the priest meets the widow-witch to ask her to purify herself, but Calonarang refuses for she knows that purification means “sacrifices herself”. She believes that her power is the strongest in the world and only Durga (the wife of Shiva) herself could defeat her. However at last Calonarang is killed, not by the priest, but by own powers. She forgot that Durga’s power were too strong for her, and as a result, when Durga comes to her aid, she is burnt out by the power that Durga gives to her.