Once upon a time in Bali, a man and his wife were praying. They
have been married for a long time but did not have any children. They asked God
to give them a child. They prayed and prayed.
God finally answered their prayers. The wife, then, got pregnant
and they had a baby boy. They were very happy.
The baby was extraordinary. He was very much different from
other babies. He ate and drank a lot. Day after day he ate more and more. His
body was getting bigger and bigger. And by the time he was a teenager, his body
was as big as a buffalo. People then started to call him Kebo Iwa.
Because of his eating habit, Kebo Iwa’s parents spent a lot of
money to buy his food in large amount. They finally went bankrupt. They gave up
and asked the villagers to help them provide the food.
The villagers then worked together to cook and build a big house
for Kebo Iwa. He was like a giant. He could not stay in his parents’ house
anymore because of his big body. Sadly, after a few months, the villagers also
could not afford to cook him the food. They then asked Kebo Iwa to cook his own
food. The villagers just prepared the raw materials.
Kebo Iwa agreed and as an expression of his gratitude to the
villagers, he built a dam, dug wells, and he also protected the villagers from
animals and people who wanted to attack their village. He did those things by
himself.
Meanwhile, the troops of Majapahit were planning to attack Bali.
They knew about Kebo Iwa. And they also knew that they could not conquer Bali
with Kebo Iwa there. Kebo Iwa was more powerful than they were.
Gajah Mada, the Maha Patih (Chief Minister) of Majapahit then
planned something. They were pretending to invite Kebo Iwa to Majapahit to help
them dig some wells. They said that Majapahit was suffering from a long dry
season and needed much water. Kebo Iwa did not know the plan, so he went to
Majapahit.
When Kebo Iwa was busy digging a very big well, the troops
covered the well. Kebo Iwa had difficulty in breathing and buried alive. He
died in the well.
After the death of Kebo Iwa, Bali was conquered by Majapahit.
Until now, people still remember Kebo Iwa because he had done a lot for
Majapahit and Bali. The stone head of legendary Kebo Iwa can be found in Pura
Gaduh temple in Blahbatuh.
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