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{{Short description|Demon Queen of the Leyaks}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox mythical creature
|name = Rangda<br>ᬭᬗ᭄ᬤ
|AKA          = 
|image        = Rangda queen of the leyaks.jpg
|image_size   = 220px
|caption      = Rangda in Balinese [[Barong (mythology)|Barong]] dance drama
|Folklore    =[[Balinese mythology]] 
|Grouping     =
|Sub_Grouping =

|Country      = [[Indonesia]]
|Region       = [[Bali]]
|Habitat      = 
|Similar_entities =
}}
{{Hinduism in Indonesia}}
'''Rangda''' ({{langx|ban|ᬭᬗ᭄ᬤ}}) is the [[demon]] [[queen regnant|queen]] of the [[Leyak]]s in [[Bali]], according to traditional [[Balinese mythology]]. Terrifying to behold, the child-eating Rangda leads an army of evil [[Witchcraft|witches]] against the leader of the forces of good&nbsp;— [[Barong (mythology)|Barong]]. The battle between Barong and Rangda is featured in a Barong dance which represents the eternal battle between good and evil.<ref name="indo.com">{{Cite web|url = http://www.indo.com/culture/barong.html|title = The Barong Dance of Bali|access-date = 2012-01-17|author = indo.com|year = 2001|publisher = indo.com}}</ref>

Rangda is a term in [[old Javanese]] that means "widow".

==Description==
Rangda is important in Balinese culture, and performances depicting her struggles with Barong or with Airlangga are popular [[tourist attraction]]s as well as traditions. 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.

==History==
Bali is a [[Hindu]] island, and it is suggested that Rangda may also be closely associated with [[Durga]].<ref name="Brinkgreve" /> She is also considered similar to the Hindu warrior goddess [[Kali]], the goddess of destruction, transformation, and protection in Hinduism.

While Rangda is similar to Durga (or Kali) in some cases, she is mostly considered by many as the personification of evil, unlike 
Durga who is seen as a benevolent mother goddess of fertility and destruction in Northeastern India, particularly in [[Assam]] and [[Tripura]].<ref>{Journey of a goddess|cite url=https://researchers.cdu.edu.au/en/studentTheses/the-journey-of-a-goddess|}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Rangda was linked to the legend of [[Calon Arang]] and also the legend of the divorced and exiled [[Java (island)|Javanese]] queen [[Mahendradatta]]. The name Rangda in [[old Javanese]] and Balinese language means "[[widow]]".

===Calon Arang===
Rangda is known as a [[Leyak]] queen, the incarnation of [[Calon Arang]], the legendary [[witch]] that wreaked havoc in ancient Java during the reign of [[Airlangga]] in the late 10th century. It is said that Calon Arang was a widow, who had mastered the art of [[black magic]], who often damaged farmers' crops and caused disease to come. She had a daughter, named Ratna Manggali, who, though beautiful, could not get a husband because people were afraid of her mother. Because of the difficulties faced by her daughter, Calon Arang was angry and she intended to take revenge by kidnapping a young girl. She brought the girl to a temple of Death to be sacrificed to the goddess Durga. The next day, a great flood engulfed the village and many people died. Disease also appeared.

King [[Airlangga]], who had heard of this matter, then asked for his advisor, Empu Bharada, to deal with this problem. Empu Bharada then sent his disciple, Empu Bahula, to be married to Ratna. Both were married with a huge feast that lasted seven days and seven nights, and the situation returned to normal. Calon Arang had a book that contained magic incantations. One day, this book was found by Empu Bahula, who turned it over to Empu Bharada. As soon as Calon Arang knew that the book had been stolen, she became angry and decided to fight Empu Bharada. Without the help of Durga, Calon Arang was defeated. Since she was defeated, the village was safe from the threat of Calon Arang's black magic.

Other interpretations claim that Rangda was derived from the historical 11th-century queen [[Mahendradatta]] or Gunapriyadharmapatni, a Javanese princess sister of [[Dharmawangsa]] of the East Javanese [[Ishana dynasty]] of late [[Mataram kingdom]] period. She was the wife of Balinese king [[Udayana Warmadewa|Udayana]] and Airlangga's mother. Mahendradatta is known for her devotion to the cult of [[Durga]] in Bali.

The story goes that Mahendradatta, the mother of Airlangga, was condemned and exiled by the king, [[Udayana Warmadewa|Udayana]], for allegedly practicing witchcraft and black magic. After she became a widow, hurt and humiliated, she sought revenge upon her ex-husband's court and the whole of his kingdom. She summoned all the evil spirits in the jungle, the Leyaks, and the demons that caused plague and death in the kingdom. She proceeded to take her revenge by killing off half the kingdom, which by then belonged to her and Dharmodayana's son [[Airlangga]], with [[pandemic|a plague]] before being overcome by a holy man.<ref name="indo.com"/>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Rangda tijdens een barong- en krisdans TMnr 20017895.jpg|Rangda in a Barong dance scene.
File:Rangda statue.jpg|Statue of Rangda at a temple.
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM De dienares van Rangda in een Barong- en Krisdans in het voorhof van de dorpstempel TMnr 20000309.jpg|Rangda's attendant in a Barong dance.
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Krisdansers met Rangda tijdens een Barong dansvoorstelling TMnr 20018470.jpg|Barong dance performance with [[kris]] dancers and Rangda.
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Monster uit de Tjalon Arang dans TMnr 10004741.jpg|Representation of Rangda in a Barong dance.
File:Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum - Barong-2478.jpg|Rangda and [[Barong (mythology)|Barong]].
File:Rangda statue at Ngurah Rai Airport.jpg|Modern Rangda statue at [[Ngurah Rai International Airport]], Bali.
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Indonesia}}
* ''[[Chhota Bheem and the Throne of Bali]]'', Indian animated film with Rangda as the primary villainess.
* [[Barong (mythology)]]
* [[Balinese dance]]
* [[Balinese art]]
* [[Balinese theater]]
* [[Folklore of Indonesia]]
* [[Hinduism in Indonesia]]
* [[Village Goddess]]
* [[Wewe Gombel]]
* [[Sundel bolong]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist
| refs =

<ref name="Brinkgreve">{{cite journal|last = Brinkgreve|first = Francine|title = Offerings to Durga and Pretiwi in Bali|journal = Asian Folklore Studies|year = 1997|volume = 56|issue = 2|pages = 227–251|doi = 10.2307/1178726|jstor = 1178726}}</ref>
}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal
  | last = Coldiron
  | first = Margaret
  | title = Lions, Witches, and Happy Old Men: Some Parallels between Balinese and Japanese Ritual Masks
  | journal = Asian Theatre Journal
  | date = Fall 2005
  | volume = 22
  | issue = 2
  | pages = 227–248
  | jstor = 4137132
  | doi=10.1353/atj.2005.0021
  | s2cid = 161312412
 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20021113031441/http://www.geocities.com/bali_info_4u/rangad_barong.htm Bali tourism information on Rangda and her stories]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130927132638/http://www.gendercentre.org.au/resources/polare-archive/archived-articles/soft-minded-men.htm Soft Minded Men]

{{Mythology of Indonesia}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Balinese mythology]]
[[Category:Demons]]
[[Category:Female legendary creatures]]
[[Category:Indonesian legendary creatures]]