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Khamis, 14 Jun 2012

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THE HISTORY AND THE LEGEND – PUTERI GUNUNG LEDANG <b>...</b>

Posted: 14 Jun 2012 01:14 AM PDT

Article written by: Kyle Jin Soon Tan

ASEAN-Korea blog correspondent, Malaysia

Malaysia is located in Straits of Malacca and the origin of the strait's name comes from Malacca, a well known entreport in the 15th century.  Malacca was founded around 1400 when the Prince by the name of Parameswara escaped from the Siam invasion on Temasek (Singapore). He finally settled down in Malacca after an incident. According to the legend, one day while he was resting against a tree, he saw his hunting dogs outwitted by a small mouse deer.

           Malacca port in the olden days

Parameswara believed it was a good omen and decided to establish his capital there.  He named the capital after the tree. The tree he was leaning on was called "Melaka" (Malacca). From then onwards, together with his advisors, Malacca began to capitalize on its strategic location, frequently used by the passing traders. Soon after, Malacca became an important port for traders as far as the Middle East.

Malacca flourished in the 15th century and its influence extended beyond its borders. However, internal disputes and finally the invasion by the Portuguese ended the reign of the Malaccan Sultanate.

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"In his greatest work, Tun Sri Lanang wrote that the Sultan after the death of his wife, yearned for a new princess. This time, he does not wish to marry to a common princess like the rest of the Kings. He wanted to differentiate himself from the rest of the rulers. He wanted to wed an extraordinary princess no Kings was able to wed… and she was the Puteri Gunung Ledang…"    

 

The Malay Annals

The Legend of Puteri Gunung Ledang (Princess of Mount Ledang) was written in The Malay Annals. The legend began when the Sultan of Malacca who yearned for the most beautiful wife was told that there was a beautiful princess living in Mount Ledang. So one day, the Sultan asked his admiral, Hang Tuah, to lead a delegation to propose to the princess.

Along the way, he met an old lady who said that if the Sultan wished to marry the princess, he must fulfill the seven preconditions. They were:

1.             A golden bridge from the mountain to Malacca

2.              A silver bridge from Malacca to the mountain

3.              Seven barrels of young betel nut juices from the Betel Tree

4.              Seven barrels of tears from virgin girls

5.             Seven trays filled with hearts of mosquitoes

6.             Seven trays filled with hearts of germs

7.             A bowl of blood from the Sultan's young son

Unable to fulfil the last wish, he abandoned his desire to wed the princess. In the famous Malaysian musical – Puteri Gunung Ledang, The Musical, the legend was retold on stage. It featured Tiara Jacquelina (as Puteri Gunung Ledang) and Stephen Rahman-Hughes as Hang Tuah. The Musical was centred on the 2004 Puteri Gunung Ledang film starring Tiara and M. Nasir (a famous Malaysian rock musician).

The Musical

It was first staged in Istana Budaya and the production was also premiered in Singapore's Esplanade Theatres on the Bay during the Malay Festival of Arts in 2006.  The musical deviated from the original legend but it still managed to pack a punch in this sold-out event.

The Musical started when Adipati and the people of Majapahit were on the verge of defeat by Demak (another country) but were saved when Hang Tuah of Malacca was sent to warn Demak. To fulfil his promise to the Malaccan Sultan, Adipati (Ruler of the Majapahit Kingdom) tried to find his missing sister (the princess) to wed her to the Sultan. Hang Tuah, the princess lover, was devastated to hear the news. He knew she was waiting for him in Mount Ledang. Before he could find her, he was ordered by the Sultan to lead a royal proposal delegation to Mount Ledang.

The delegation came back with the seven prenuptial conditions. However, when the Sultan tried to murder his own son (the last condition); the princess appeared. She stopped him from carrying out this hideous act. The Musical ended when the princess was reunited with her lover, Hang Tuah at the peak of Mount Ledang.
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