Kebolwa

Once upon a time in Bali, lived a wealthy man and his wife. They have been married for a long time but did not have any children. They prayed to God to give them a child. They prayed and prayed. God finally answered their pray. The wife 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. That’s why people called him KeboIwa, it means uncle buffalo. Because of his eating habit, KeboIwa’s parents spent a lot of money to buy his food. They finally went bankrupt. They had no other choice but to ask the villagers to help them provide the food.

The villagers then worked together to cook and build a big house for KeboIwa. He was like a giant. He could not stay in his parents’ house anymore because of his big body. After a few months, the villagers also couldn’t afford to cook him the food anymore. They then asked KeboIwa to cook his own food. The villagers just prepared the raw materials. KeboIwa agreed and as an expression of his gratitude to the villagers, he help built a dam, dug wells, and he also protected the villagers from animals and people who wanted to attack their village. It was easy task for him since he also had incredible strength.

Meanwhile, the kingdom of Majapahit was planning to attack Bali. They knew about KeboIwa. And they also knew that they could not conquer Bali with KeboIwa there. KeboIwa was more powerful than they were. The MahaPatih of Majapahit then planned something. They were pretending to invite KeboIwa to Majapahit to help them dig some wells. They said that Majapahit was suffering from a long dry season and needed water. KeboIwa did not know the plan, so he went to Majapahit to help them. When KeboIwa was busy digging a well, the Majapahit troops covered the well. KeboIwa had difficulty in breathing and buried alive. He died inside the well. After the death of KeboIwa, Bali was conquered by Majapahit. Until now, people still remember KeboIwa because he had done a lot for Bali.***