According to the ancient tale, in the south coast of Lombok island there is a kingdom called Tonjang Beru. Around this kingdom, great halls have made for the meeting of the kings of the Lombok Island. The kingdom of Tonjang Beru is ruled by a king which renowned for his wisdom and justice. The King’s wife named Queen Dewi Seranting.
The King has a daughter, named Princess Mandalika. When she reached an adulthood, she became a very beautiful girl. She was very graceful and beautiful. Her eyes were like like the stars in the east. Her beauty was so incomparable all across the island. She also was renowned as a friendly and polite behavior princess. That's what makes the Princess became the pride of her people.
The people are very proud to have a wise and prudent king who wanted to help people in distress. Under the reign of The King Tonjang Beru, the people lived in prosperous and secure. The beauty and elegance of Princess Mandalika was very famous from the east to the west of the island of Lombok. Beauty and elegance of the princess also heard by the princes from other kingdom in Lombok island. At the time, The other kingdom besides Tonjang Beru was Johor, Lipur, Pane, Kuripan, Daha, and Beru. The Princes was fall in love and so eager to marry the Princess Mandalika.
Each of the Princes sent their envoy to propose to marry Princess Mandalika, but Princess Mandalika rejected politely. There were two PrinceS that were so furious to accept the fact that their proposal was rejected. They were the Prince Datu Teruna and Prince Maliawang, each of them came from the kingdom of Johor and the kingdom of Lipur. Even then, Datu Teruna sent Arya Bawal and Arya Tebuik to the Kingdom of Tonjang Beru, with the threat of destruction of the entire Tonjang Beru kingdom if the proposal was rejected. Prince Maliawang sent Arya Bumbang and Arya Tuna with the intention and similar threats.Princess Mandalika still unmoved. Then Prince Datu Teruna released a magic spell (“senggeger”), it’s called “Utusaning Allah”, on the other hand, Prince Maliawang blew a “Senggeger” “Jaring Sutra” (Silk Nets). These powerfull magic spells from the two Princes has made Princess Mandalika helpless, The faces of the two princes came together in her dreams. She couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, the Princess finally became very thin. The whole country Tonjang Beru were on grief, and anxiety.
Why did the Princess refused all the proposal of the princes? Because, besides of her love, she also felt the she has a great responsibility for her people. At the time, there will be a disaster when she must choose one of those Prince, there would be a prolonged war in the island. Confused by the situation, the Princess went in meditation, after several times, the Princess got some kind of a revelation.
She had to invite all the princes in the meeting on the 20th of the month 10 (month of Sasak) in the morning, early morning before dawn.
They must be accompanied by all the people of each koingdom. They were asked to come and gather at Kuta beach. Unexpectedly, six Princes came, together with their people. Thousands of them gathered at the beach. And so The beach is like surrounded by ants.Even then, some of them came two days earlier before the day appointed by the Princess. People from all ages had come to Kuta beach. They want to see how the Princess will determine her choice. Visitors flock from all over the island of Lombok. So they gathered with eager hearts waiting for the presence of the Princess.
As promised, The Princess appeared on time. Just as the sky reddened in the eastern horizon, the beautiful and graceful princess came using a gold-plated stretcher. Royal soldiers walking on the left, right, and behind the princess. the security’s tightened. All invitations that waited days and days could only stare at the beauty and elegance of the princess. The Princess came with a very beautiful dress from very fine silk fabric.
Not long after that, the Princess walked to the edge of a cliff , then stopped at a pile of stone, her back to the open seas. Princess Mandalika standing there then she turned into the invitation. The Princess spoke briefly, but the messages were clear. She announced her decision in a loud voice: O father and mother and all the Princes and people of the Tonjang Beru that I love. Today I have set myself to you all. I can not choose one among the Princes. Because this destiny wanted me to be a Nyale (a kind of a sea worm), thing that you can enjoy together in the month and date when the emergence of Nyale at sea level..!!
Along with that, the words that had been uttered by princess Mandalika confused the six Princes and all the people. Unexpectedly, the Princess dropped something on a rock and then threw herself into the sea, the waves directly swallowed her body and accompanied by gale, lightning and a boomed thunder.
There was no sign of the Princess in the place. While the people shocked, and fell in silence, suddenly on the sea level where the Princess mandalika threw herself appeared small creature which is now referred as Nyale. The sea creature’s shaped like a worm. The people alleged that the “Nyale” (Sea worm) was the incarnation of the Princess. Then they immediately took the “Nyale” as much as they could to be enjoyed as a sense of love and also as a food or other purposes.
The King has a daughter, named Princess Mandalika. When she reached an adulthood, she became a very beautiful girl. She was very graceful and beautiful. Her eyes were like like the stars in the east. Her beauty was so incomparable all across the island. She also was renowned as a friendly and polite behavior princess. That's what makes the Princess became the pride of her people.
The people are very proud to have a wise and prudent king who wanted to help people in distress. Under the reign of The King Tonjang Beru, the people lived in prosperous and secure. The beauty and elegance of Princess Mandalika was very famous from the east to the west of the island of Lombok. Beauty and elegance of the princess also heard by the princes from other kingdom in Lombok island. At the time, The other kingdom besides Tonjang Beru was Johor, Lipur, Pane, Kuripan, Daha, and Beru. The Princes was fall in love and so eager to marry the Princess Mandalika.
Why did the Princess refused all the proposal of the princes? Because, besides of her love, she also felt the she has a great responsibility for her people. At the time, there will be a disaster when she must choose one of those Prince, there would be a prolonged war in the island. Confused by the situation, the Princess went in meditation, after several times, the Princess got some kind of a revelation.
They must be accompanied by all the people of each koingdom. They were asked to come and gather at Kuta beach. Unexpectedly, six Princes came, together with their people. Thousands of them gathered at the beach. And so The beach is like surrounded by ants.Even then, some of them came two days earlier before the day appointed by the Princess. People from all ages had come to Kuta beach. They want to see how the Princess will determine her choice. Visitors flock from all over the island of Lombok. So they gathered with eager hearts waiting for the presence of the Princess.
As promised, The Princess appeared on time. Just as the sky reddened in the eastern horizon, the beautiful and graceful princess came using a gold-plated stretcher. Royal soldiers walking on the left, right, and behind the princess. the security’s tightened. All invitations that waited days and days could only stare at the beauty and elegance of the princess. The Princess came with a very beautiful dress from very fine silk fabric.
Not long after that, the Princess walked to the edge of a cliff , then stopped at a pile of stone, her back to the open seas. Princess Mandalika standing there then she turned into the invitation. The Princess spoke briefly, but the messages were clear. She announced her decision in a loud voice: O father and mother and all the Princes and people of the Tonjang Beru that I love. Today I have set myself to you all. I can not choose one among the Princes. Because this destiny wanted me to be a Nyale (a kind of a sea worm), thing that you can enjoy together in the month and date when the emergence of Nyale at sea level..!!
Along with that, the words that had been uttered by princess Mandalika confused the six Princes and all the people. Unexpectedly, the Princess dropped something on a rock and then threw herself into the sea, the waves directly swallowed her body and accompanied by gale, lightning and a boomed thunder.
There was no sign of the Princess in the place. While the people shocked, and fell in silence, suddenly on the sea level where the Princess mandalika threw herself appeared small creature which is now referred as Nyale. The sea creature’s shaped like a worm. The people alleged that the “Nyale” (Sea worm) was the incarnation of the Princess. Then they immediately took the “Nyale” as much as they could to be enjoyed as a sense of love and also as a food or other purposes.
That is the story of Bau Nyale (Catching Nyale). Catching Nyale become a tradition, pass down from generation to generation on the Lombok island. On the day of event Catching Nyale, since the afternoon the people gathered on the beach and filled the Nyale event with Peresean (fighting using rattan stick), make camp and fill the evening with a variety of traditional arts such as Betandak (requited rhyme), Bejambik (giving the souvenir or a gift to a lover), and Belancaran (cruise by boat). And also, they held a colossal drama Princess Mandalika that took place on the Seger beach.
Each date on the twenty of the tenth month in the Sasak calendar (calendar for the native tribe of Lombok island) or five days after the full moon, before dawn on the Seger beach in Central Lombok regency, The people held an event that visited by many people, including tourists. The event was called “Bau Nyale”. The “Bau” in the Sasak language means to capture. While “Nyale”, a type of sea worms that live in the hole of the rock under the sea level.
Locals believe that “Nyale” have a good luck that can bring prosperity to the people that respect and valued them, but “Nyale” will bring harm to the people who underestimate them. That's what happen over years on this region, said one of the locals.
Some time before Nyale appeared at night, heavy rain interspersed with lightning and thunder that boomed along with a very strong winds or gale occurred on the area. It is estimated that on the fourth day after full moon, the night before Nyale going out, the rain subsided, replaced by spatter, the atmosphere became so quiet, in the early morning the “Nyale” began to appear, rolling along with the waves, and as quickly Nyale gradually disappeared from the sea surface together with the crack of dawn in the eastern horizon.
The wonders of Nyale for the Sasak tribe in Lombok has creates tales about the events that spread almost throughout the communities of Lombok. This is very interesting tale with a very romantic story and develops through the narrative of the elder people who are then arranged in a script about the legend of Nyale. ;-)
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