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East Nusa Tenggara (catch) and “nyale” (sea worm). Well, Bau Nyale is the time when a number of both the local inhabitants
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Princess Mandalika; the Origin of Bau Nyale Festival, West Nusa Tenggara - Indonesia
and foreign tourists gather at the same time and place to catch the nyale on the beach of Seger Kuta,
West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia.
Amongst the Sasak people, an ethnic tribe that has been settling down on Lombok Island since
hundreds years ago, there is a folk lore about the origin of Bau Nyale festival. The story is about a
beautiful charming girl named Princess Mandalika, the daughter of a ruler of Lombok Island. For her
astounding beauty and the wealth of her father of course, the kings and rulers from the neighbouring
kingdoms were proposing to marry her. This led a competition to get the princess’s heart peaked up in a
war between those neighbouring kingdoms. Such a terrible fact then really annoyed Princess Mandalika.
She was afraid of more wars in term of competing to marry her. What did she do to cope with that
situation? And, who’s later on appeared to be her husband? Here is the story of Princess Mandalika; the
origin of Bau Nyale festival.
***
Long time ago on the island of Lombok, Tunjung Bitu Kingdom was a mere authority holder on the
island of Lombok. It was headed by a wise and kind ruler named King Tonjang Beru. Under his reign,
the kingdom and its people lived in harmony and prosperity. His wife, Dewi Seranting, gave birth to a
beautifully charming girl named Princess Mandalika. She grew up in peaceful situation and she was a
polite, wise, and kind girl which made everybody on the island took care of her.
The astounding beauty of Princess Mandalika came to the ear of many crowned princes from the
neighbouring kingdoms. One by one they took a visit to the royal palace of Tonjang Beru Kingdom with
hope to get the heart of Princess Mandalika. However, none of them could attract her attention. A series
of wars then finally broke up between those kingdoms as a consequence of the competition to get
Mandalika. The winner, according to their agreement, then would automatically possess the rights to
marry her, but the destiny might talk different thing.
One day in the royal palace of Tunjung Bitu Kingdom, King Tonjang Beru called his daughter Princess
Mandalika soon after knowing the news on the war between the neighbouring kingdoms to get his
daughter.
 “Mandalika, I heard about a war competing for getting your heart will immediately break up. Have it
come to your ear?” the king asked.
 “Yes, I have heard it once, Father,” Princess Mandalika answered.
 “What will you do to stop the war, Mandalika?”
 “Pardon me, Father. So far I don’t know what to do. That was my mistake. Would you please allow me
to cope with that, Father?
 “Yes, of course. I think you know the best thing for this, and the best one for you!”
 “Alright, Father. After all, let me accomplish asceticism with hope I would get the best solution for this,
Father,”
For several days ahead, Princess Mandalika went to a forest from nearby the royal palace. There she
sought for a divine inspiration on the problem she and the kingdom was facing at that time. It was once
flashed on her mind to nominate ten of the crowned princes; then from those ten nominees, she would
choose one to be her husband. However, that idea was considered wrong to her lately. She got another
idea; that was sacrificing herself. For her, that way was much better than sacrificing thousands of
innocent people when the war broke up.
Based on the divine order she got during the asceticism, she was obliged to assembly those crowned
princes, along with their people, on Seger Kuta Beach on day 20, month 10 of the Sasak calendar. On
that day, all had to be on the beach before the sun rises; hence some of them had been on the beach
two days before the day.
Seger Kuta Beach turned crowded on that day. Soon after the sun rose, a golden carriage shouldered by
four men arrived at the location. Inside the carriage was Mandalika dressed beautifully in royal silky
clothes. It stopped near a big stone; then she went down from it. She then stood up at the stone,
looking at the mass. She starred at the crowded; making the heart of every single crowned prince beat
so fast. They were impatient to know who the one would be her husband.
After that, Princess Mandalika spoke up…..
 “O… Father… Mother… And all of you here… I would like to announce you that today; I wouldn’t choose
any one of you. My destiny lies on this beach, becoming nyale. I would emerge on several occasions
along with the number of the nyale. From this, I wish that my sacrifice would be beneficial to all you for
now and then.”
All were shocked to hear that announcement; including Mandalika’s parents. Just after she stopped
telling her decision, she plunged into the sea, and disappeared leaving no traces at all. At the spur of
the moment, the sky turned dark and the wind roared hard along with the thundering storm coming
back and forth. The crowded was in panic for several minutes; and the situation turned normal again.
Some people then sought for her at the sea, but nothing they found. In a few moments, thousands of
sea worms emerged from the bottom of the sea. In the present, such a kind of worm is known locally as
nyale. The local people believe that the nyale is the reincarnation of Princess Mandalika. Until now, a
number of people gather on Seger Kuta Beach during the Bau Nyale festival to collect nyale because
they do believe in the benefit of it.
***
The myth of Bau Nyale which tells the origin of the festival and the early history of Seger Kuta Beach
shows some moral messages. One of them is the self sacrifice of Princess Mandalika to avoid the war
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9/8/2021 Princess Mandalika; the Origin of Bau Nyale Festival, West Nusa Tenggara - Indonesia
between the neighbouring kingdoms competing to marry her. She gave herself to the sea just because
she didn’t want thousands of innocent people to be the victims of the war. By sacrificing herself, which
then incarnate into the sea worms, it clearly shows that she finally give her spirit for everyone
indiscriminately. 

In the present, a number of both the local people and foreign tourists enthusiastically attend Seger Kuta
Beach for taking part in celebrating Bau Nyale festival. The festival is customarily held twice in a year;
that are on February and March. Knowing such a potential, the West Nusa Tenggara Provincial
Government issued a certificate of national cultural asset to the festival of Bau Nyale.

The festival, since the 16th century, usually begins on evening because the nyale emerge to the sea
surface at that time. People gather on the beach, seeking for the nyale and tracing the south coast of
Lombok Island. More than a mere hunting for the nyale, the celebration of Bau Nyale in the present also
features some cultural events such as betandak (reciting pantun), bejambik (presenting gift to the
beloved one), belancaran (hanging around the island with motorized boats), and of course, theatrical
show on Princess Mandalika.

Not only is the festival held for a mere preservation to the cultural heritage of West Nusa Tenggara
Province, but the nyale alone is also scientifically proven to bear some “efficacies”. According to a
research undertaken by Dr. dr. Soewignyo Soemodiharjo, the nyale has a chemical substance that
functions as antiseptic. As well, his survey, which involved 70.6 respondents, shows that the leaves
used to cover the nyale during the festival can be used to substitute chemical fertilizer for increasing
farming land’s soil fertility. More than that, the sea worms are also processed by the local people into
Emping Nyale (nyale chips). This snack has become the most favourite crispy chip for the local people
and tourists visiting the island of Lombok.

From the socio-cultural perspective, Bau Nyale functions as a means of increasing the solidarity
amongst the inhabitants of Lombok Island and tourists coming from either foreign countries or outside
the province of West Nusa Tenggara.

Syamsuni (sas/37/10-07)
Translated by Irfan Nugroho (ter/105/03-09)

Sources:

Anonym. “Atraksi Budaya: Bau Nyale”, available online at http://lalu.sasak.org/?p=21, retrieved

on October 25th, 2007
Anonim. “Bau Nyale di Lombok Tengah,” available online at http://www.mail-archive.com/balita-
anda@balita-anda.com/msg164551.html, retrieved on October 25th, 2007
Anonim. “Kabupaten Lombok Tengah”, available online at
http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabupaten_Lombok_Tengah, retrieved on October 25th, 2007
Anonim. “Upacara Bau Nyale”, available online at
http://wirangpatut.blogspot.com/2007/06/upacara-bau-nyale, retrieved on September 28th,
2007
Anonim. 2006. “Pantai Mandalika dan Tanjung A‘an Lombok Tengah”, available online at
http://memoryindonesia.blogspot.com/2006/12/pantai-mandalika-dan-tanjung-aan-lombok.html,
retrieved on October 25th, 2007
Khafid, Supriyanto. “Bau Nyale di Lombok Tengah”, available online at http://www.mail-
archive.com/balita-anda@balita-anda.com/msg164551.html, retrieved on October 25th, 2007
-------, “Dongeng Bau Nyale Tradisi Syukuran di Pantai Seger”, available online at
http://www.korantempo.com/news/2004/2/11/Nusa/33.html, retrieved on October 25th, 2007
Yuliandari, Rini Dwi. 2001. “Kabupaten Lombok Tengah”, available online at
http://bankdata.depkes.go.id/kompas/Kabupaten%20Lombok%20Tengah.pdf, retrieved on
October 25th, 2007

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