It can be the enchanting hour the first night of full moon, when the long shades drew aside like phantoms on the ground, that crowd of village meets around a release close to the temple of deaths to observe the drama of Calon Arang, the widow-witch of Girah. Each Balinese knows the legend of Rangda like CaIon Arang, a favourite in the local folklore.

A long ago, when Airlangga was a king, there lived a widow, Calon Arang, which gave rise to a child in the jungle. The child developed until is the sea famous Ratna Menggali. The girl of line wanted by Calon Arang to marry a fromairiangga' spalace of prince, but despite her beauty, no prince came. Angered by this, the widow learned art from the black magic and practised against the kingdom, making die much people.

When Airiangga intended to speak about the epidemic in Girah, it consulted its high priest, Mpu Bharadah. The priest sent his son to ask for the hand of Ratna Menggali. Calon Arang was satisfied by the offer. The plague dropped, and the couples wed. Calon Arang had in its possession a lontar (palmleaf delivers) black magic lesson. His/her son one day found and gave to his/her father, who then deciphered the formulas with the secret powers of the widow. When Calon Arang discovered the Mpu Bharadah had learned its secrecies, it was exasperated and declared the war on him. The priest did not have any choice but to fight and, in a fight mortal of sorcery, destroyed the widow by moulding a charm. Before she died, Calon Arang required the remission. The Mpu Bharadah freed from the contracts and the way to him towards the sky.

The history showed has many variations, and no two plays of Calon Arang are exactly identical. Primarily, the play is a drama of the magic which is used as powerful exorcism of the bad spirits aligned with the Rangda witch-queen. By dramatizing Calonarang as powers her magical height of at the of Rangda, one hopes it that the execution will gain the favour of the witch and will alleviate her appetite for the destruction.