Rangda

First, let me answer what is Rangda. Rangda is the name of a god from Bali. Read on for more details.

Why did I choose Rangda as the name for my website?

For anyone who has tried to think up a domain name these days, they already know part of the reason why. Every conceivable domain name that I could come up with seemed to be already taken. This included words from multiple languages including Indonesian, Japanese, Tibetan, and even Mongolian!!!

My criteria for a domain name was that it had to be something that was short and easy to remember, easy to spell, and relatively easy to pronounce in multiple languages. I also wanted a domain name that was somewhat unique, said something about me. I did NOT want a domain name that had anything to do with my name. Besides, with a name like "Ron Miller" ... I'm sure that every possible combination has already been taken.

As I was looking for a name, I tried more possibilities than I could possibly remember. "Rangda" was one that I had tried early on, but it must have been "parked" meaning that someone had temporarily reserved it.

At some point later on, I tried "Rangda" again and found it free, and I very quickly reserved it and now have it reserved through 2005.

So what exactly is Rangda?

Rangda along with her counterpart Barong are the names of two important Balinese gods. I am not an authority on Balinese mythology, so please forgive me if any of the following is incorrect. This is just based upon what I learned from a few weeks of traveling in Bali.

Balinese mythology is based upon Hinduism which came from India many centuries ago. Many of the Balinese gods are recognizable as such, although I believe that Barong and Rangda only exist on Bali, and I assume pre-dated the arrival of Hinduism.

Rangda is an "evil" god while Barong balances her evil with his "goodness". In Balinese mythology (as can be seen in many of the Balinese dances), Rangda and Barong often confront each other, often resulting in a battle between the two of them (along with their respective army of supporters).

As with many Asian religions, "balance" is emphasized over discerning between "good" and "evil", and as a result there is never a triumph of good over evil. The conflict between Barong and Rangda is never resolved. This is sort of like the Balinese yin-yang.

So why did I pick an "evil" god as my host? As mentioned above, Rangda is not really evil, and her existence in Balinese mythology is largely to represent the balance that we need to have in our lives. Secondly, I think that "Rangda" has an interesting story behind it, and it also satisfies the criteria that I mentioned above.

The only problem to date has been some people who think that the name is based upon my name, and interpret it to be "Ron-da". Oh well ... nothing is perfect.

Click here to go back to www.rangda.com.

Barong