Moni Mekhala is a celestial goddess of the waters, sea, and lightning in Cambodian tradition, best known through the sacred dance-drama that bears her name. In the myth she and the ogre Ream Eyso are fellow pupils of a hermit who promises his magic gem to whoever first brings a glass of morning dew; Mekhala wins by wringing the dew from her scarf, and thereafter the giant pursues her through the sky to seize the jewel. Her flashing of the gem is lightning, the giant's axe-blows are thunder, and their struggle brings the rain that renews the rice fields, so the dance is performed as a rain-invoking rite (Buong Suong) at the Khmer New Year. She is regarded as one of the most demanding and prestigious female roles in Khmer classical dance.