On this page
- In Brief
- Manik Angkeran at a Glance
- A Priest's Son Gambled Away His Father's Fortune
- Manik Angkeran Stole the Bell and Cut the Dragon's Jewelled Tail
- His Father's Staff Drew the Line That Became the Bali Strait
- Three Tellings Disagree on His Birth, Rescue and the Line
- In Balinese Telling, Manik Angkeran Stayed at Besakih
- FAQ
- Sources
Legenda Manik Angkeran dan Naga Besukih
In Brief
Manik Angkeran is the gambling son of the priest Empu Sidi Mantra in the folk legend of the Bali Strait (Selat Bali), told across Indonesia. He robs the dragon Naga Besukih of its jewelled tail, and his father splits the land between them.
Told here from Indonesia Kaya, detikBali, Sindonews and the Segara Rupek temple telling.
Manik Angkeran at a Glance
- Setting: Daha (Kediri, East Java) and Gunung Agung
- Places: Besakih, Pura Segara Rupek and the Bali Strait
A Priest's Son Gambled Away His Father's Fortune
In the kingdom of Daha, on Java, the respected priest Empu Sidi Mantra had a son who bet on cockfights daily until the family chest was empty.
Answering the priest's bell on Gunung Agung, the dragon Naga Besukih paid the debts, and Manik gambled that away too.
Manik Angkeran Stole the Bell and Cut the Dragon's Jewelled Tail
Manik followed his father and saw the dragon hand over treasure.
- He stole the bell as his father slept and rang it himself.
- He cut off the dragon's tail for the jewel on it.
- The dragon's fire ran along his footprints and burned him.
In Balinese mythology, Gunung Agung is also the naga Basuki's mountain, and Besakih is named for him.
His Father's Staff Drew the Line That Became the Bali Strait
Sidi Mantra carried the body and the tail back to the dragon.
Once he made the tail whole, Naga Besukih restored Manik. Unable to live with his son, the priest scratched a line with his staff on the road home, and water filled the split.
The Bali Strait from Gilimanuk, with Java across the water and the Raung volcano erupting, July 2015. Photo: consigliere ivan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
The Java to Bali ferry crosses it today.
Three Tellings Disagree on His Birth, Rescue and the Line
They share the bell, the tail and the fire, and part in three places.
| Indonesia Kaya | detikBali | Segara Rupek | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | from a glowing bead | to a wife from the god Batara Guru | a gift of the fire god Agni |
| Rescue | the tail made whole | the tail returned | he must serve the naga |
| The line | a staff line on the road home | a spring that becomes the sea | three staff strikes in Bali's far west |
In Balinese Telling, Manik Angkeran Stayed at Besakih
detikBali retells the Babad Indik Segara Rupek from a study by I Kadek Adi Widiastika and colleagues.
Revived, Manik serves as a priest at Besakih, titled Dang Hyang Bang Manik Angkeran. Pura Manik Mas, one of Besakih's temples, marks where he died, and Wikipedia places his shrine at Pura Batu Madeg.
Pura Batu Madeg at Besakih, seen from the path beside Penataran Agung. Photo: Michael Gunther / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Pura Segara Rupek, in West Bali National Park, stands where Sidi Mantra meditated before striking the ground. Its village, Sumberklampok, also holds Jayaprana's grave.
On the ferry, one shore is the father's road home, and the other holds the son who stayed.
FAQ
What is the legend of the Bali Strait? Manik Angkeran cut the dragon Naga Besukih's tail, and his father, Empu Sidi Mantra, drew a line that became the sea.
What is the moral of the Manik Angkeran story? Greed burns the greedy and lies break trust, in Indonesia Kaya's reading. Wikipedia adds the ruin of gambling.
Where can you see the legend's places? Besakih, Pura Segara Rupek in West Bali National Park, and the Ketapang to Gilimanuk ferry.
Sources
- Indonesia Kaya, Kisah Manik Angker, December 2024, read October 2026 (in Indonesian)
- detikBali, Legenda Manik Angkeran, May 2024, read October 2026 (in Indonesian)
- detikBali, Pura Segara Rupek, May 2025, read October 2026 (in Indonesian)
- detikBali, Pura Agung Besakih, March 2023, read October 2026 (in Indonesian)
- Sindonews, Kisah Manik Angkeran dan Naga Besukih, March 2024, read October 2026 (in Indonesian)
- Wikipedia, Kisah Manik Angker, Pura Besakih and Kesiman Kertalangu, read October 2026 (in Indonesian)
Read next: Balinese mythology, Jayaprana and Layonsari and West Bali National Park.