Legendary Langkawi with Makam Mahsuri

I have heard a lot about Mahsuri during my schooling time. Mahsuri's legend was a sad story of a Malay lady who was being accused of committing adultery with another man and executed finally without "court trial". After she died, her blood was found to be white and thus the villagers then believed that she was innocent. At the place she executed, Langkawi, she made a curse that this island would be "Padang Jarak Padang Tekukur" meaning uncultivated, for next 7 generations. Without much development at Langkawi, it seemed to become a reality.

One of the top attractions in Langkawi is Mahsuri's Tomb (Makam Mahsuri). I never thought that her graveyard has become like a museum and surrounded by all the buildings. The entrance ticket for an adult was RM12. It was pricey for me. What do you think?

That's the main entrance of Mahsuri's Tomb. They named it to Kota Mahsuri, meaning Mahsuri's city in English.

I was bewildered that it was quite big inside that not only Mahsuri's Tomb to visit but other things too. Kampung Kedah is one of the attractions which you could find all types of traditional houses architecture in Kedah state. In addition, most of the houses were granted entry for visiting.

The signboard was written that this was Mahsuri's house.

"The Mahsuri house design was an adaptation of houses from the old local communities in Kedah, where the pillars of the houses were very much higher than the normal ones. The high pillars helped to prevent the furniture in the house from being damaged by the flood. Besides, the space under the house could be used during the paddy harvesting season for paddy processing. It was also used as a relaxation area as it was cooler and shaded, plus great air ventilation compared inside the house. A platform was built at the back of the house for washing and drying of clothes without having to go down to the ground."

~I edited a small part of the wordings in the signboard~

I guess this was the kitchen and platform part for drying the clothes.

 

I was surprised with this part of the floor in the living room where they covered up with bamboo and the gap in between was much larger than others. I made a guess that it was to ease them to sweep off the dust to the bottom of the house. If you know the answer, please tell me the reason yeah!

There was a well at that place named Mahsuri's well. 

A small bucket was placed beside the well. 

The Myth of Mahsuri's Well

"Believed to possess healing properties, if you wash your face with the water from the well, it would help to retain the youthful look like what it did for Mahsuri, who possessed the outstanding beauty. It was at this well, Mahsuri took her bath and washed her clothes. The water from the well was said to be cool compared to any other wells in Langkawi. Locals believed that the well never dried up even during the drought. With God willing, the water is also capable of curing skin diseases." 

Here the Mahsuri's tomb. It was well-preserved.

Allegations Towards Mahsuri

"Her full name was Mahsuri Binti Pandak Maya, she was native of Langkawi. She was born in 18th century AD in Ulu Melaka district, Langkawi.

Mahsuri married a young warrior, Wan Derus, a younger brother of the chief, Datuk Pekerma Jaya (DPJ).

While her husband was away to replace his elder brother, DPJ to fight a war, Mahsuri was said to be staying with her parents. It was during that period, Deramang, a travelling poet, made a stopover at her house to teach poetry and singing with the blessing of Mahsuri's parents.

Deramang's outstanding talent in poetry reading made Mahsuri a famous hostess resulting in her sister in law (DPJ's wife: Wan Mahora) getting jealous. The birth of Mahsuri's son, Wan Hakim, caused her to face more slanders especially when Wan Mahora accused Mahsuri of adultery with Deramang.

Due to the accusations, Mahsuri and Deramang were sentenced to death by DPJ who believed in the allegations made by his wife. Upon her death, Mahsuri cursed the land of Langkawi would never have peace for 7 generations to come. Since that moment, Langkawi was never peaceful causing some to believe that there were more buffaloes than human in Langkawi then."

No Weapon Could Hurt Her......White Blood Splattered.....

"Without further inquisition, DPJ was intent on impaling Mahsuri to death. She was caught and tied to a dead tree while awaiting her punishment. Upon the advice of some elders, it was not immediately carried out. They were of the opinion that it would be wiser to summon Wan Derus before the sentencing. As a result, Mahsuri awaited her husband's return and forced to endure days of scorching heat and relentless rain.

Fearing for her fate should Wan Derus returned, Wan Mahora insisted her husband hastily mete out the sentence. DPJ agreed and gave the orders. Mysteriously no weapon could pierce Mahsuri's flesh. This continued for days. They tried many but all were ineffective. Each day Mahsuri suffered much torture and torment that shattered her even more.

Her parents. Pandak Mayah and Cik Alang tried every means to release Mahsuri from her execution. The folk of Kampung Mawat (Mahsuri's origin) gathered as much gold and silver jewellery as they could to release Mahsuri from her predicament. They headed towards Pengkalan with every hope of success, but in the end, it was in vain.

Finally, the embattled Mahsuri revealed that only the family keris of her father can end her life. Upon the retrieval of the weapon, DMJ ordered his right man, Aria to carry out the sentence. Prepared for her fate, Mahsuri relented. As the keris plunged into her, the blood in milky white splattered and vanished into the air."

The last question to answer is Langkawi now lasted the curse made by Mahsuri? According to the chart at the board, the descendant Wan Aishah was the 6th generation after Mahsuri. She was married in 8 May 2010 (picture at right bottom corner). The record stops since then.

Overall, it was worth visiting when you came to Langkawi. I don't know if you believe of the legend, but it was a lesson to learn from the past. Jealousy destroys people. In addition, you should hear 2 sides of the story before making judgements. I would recommend parents to bring the kids to come over here for an educational tour.