The splendid Topeng play cycles portray Balinese legends and history. They display the most vivid Barong masks.
Balinese credit Cokorda Api with the creation of the first Barong mask. Cokorda Api did not know what the gods looked like, so he meditated. Soon after, Cokorda had a vision which he re-created. It became a prototype for many Barong masks.
Barong Ket mask represents a combination of lion and tiger with big wooden teeth. It is the most common Balinese supernatural creature connected to white magic rituals. He is playful but can represent threat.
Barong Singha mask represents a lion, the Ruler of the Forest. He is associated with opulence and physical strength. Barong Singha also represents sexual revitalization in a form of rain.
The mask carver--the "undagi tapel"--is a specialized craftsman, who came from a long line of carvers. Most of Bali's mask carvers live in Mas and Singapadu, the villages of the ancestors.