English has Romeo and Juliet to be proud of as a spectacular literary work. Chinese has Sampik Ing-Tai that shows world community that they also have a great romantic story. And Balinese answer for a romantic story is none other than Jayaprana and Layonsari.

Once upon a time, many years ago, there was a family consisted parents and their 4 children. They lived in Kalianget village, North Bali. One day deadly disaster attacked the village. The members of that family dead except the third younger child, named Jayaprana.

He became a motherless and fatherless child. Nonetheless, the King took him to the palace and let him lived at there. Year after year he grew to be a handsome young man. The king forced him to get married soon. One or two force did not change Jayaprana’s mind to realize the king desire. But, after the King forced him so many times he could not avoid it again.

(more…)

In accordance with the celebration of Valentine day, today’s article will talk nothing but love and to ensure that this article will talk nothing but love, I will not write anything, instead, I invite you to enjoy the most popular love story in Bali, The story of Jayaprana and Layonsari.

Jayaprana dance by Lila Bhawa dance troupe on Bali Arts Festival 2006

A long time ago in the kingdom of Kalianget, a small village in North Bali, there lived a powerful king, whose name has long been forgotten. It happened that an epidemic struck the whole village, killing most of the villagers. One of the few survivors was a little boy called I Nyoman Jayaprana, the only person in his family to have been spared from the disease.

(more…)