Most Balinese believes that their bodies, like an electric battery, accumulates a magic energy called ‘kesaktian’ that enables them to withstand the attack of evil powers, human or supernatural, that seek constantly to undermine their health. This ‘kesaktian’ is not evenly divided; some people are born with a capacity to store higher charge of magic than others. Balinese believe that women has greater capacity then men, someone who born on a certain day and someone who born with a deformity is believed to have stronger magical power than ordinary human. Some people are believed to be born with stronger magical power inherited from their previous life.

Balinese have a firm belief that ‘kesaktian’ can be trained to produce various magical ability such as changing shape, flying spreading disease, etc, by undergoing ascetical life, meditation and systematic study of the arts of magic (kawisesan). The magic energy (kesaktian) can be used for various purposes, people whose heart are wicked use the magic science to harm their enemies, or satisfy their curiosity on magic by using their neighbors as specimens for their magical experiments.

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Pakang Raras who was about fourteen years old, was flying kites one day with his attendants, Punta and Wijil, when the string broke and they lost their way in the forest. They were driven by a great storm to take shelter in the palace gardens of Daha, where the king’s young daughter was bathing in a pool. She took Pakang Raras home with her and became her page. He taught her to play the gamelan and she took a great fancy to the charming youth, and gave him fine clothes and a kris.

They used to sing Kekawin together about Arjuna and Suprabha, and one day after she had gone to her own room to rest, Pakang Raras followed her and made love to her. After that he went in everyday. And they exchange gift of flowers. But one day her maid Bajan saw him and told the King, who ordered his patih to take Pakang Raras away and kill him. When he was told that he must go at once with the patih to Blambangan, Pakang Raras knew that he was going to be put out of the way and asked leave to go and change his clothes for the journey.

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Every temple in Bali has a regularly scheduled festival, an odalan, to celebrate the anniversary of temple dedication. The Odalan are scheduled either by the lunar calendar, the Saka Calendar, or by the 210-day ceremonial cycle, the Pawukon calendar. The latter consist of 30 weeks, each seven days long. Most odalans are set by the Pawukon calendar, some temple fix their odalans according to lunar calendar or the Saka Calendar. Usually an odalan takes place at either full or new moon, more likely full than new.

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