Merong Mahawangsa is a legendary warrior and a ruler who is said to be the first king of

Langkasuka Langkasuka was an ancient Hindu-Buddhist kingdom located in the Malay Peninsula. The name is Sanskrit in origin; it is thought to be a combination of ''langkha'' for "resplendent land" -'' sukkha'' for "bliss". The kingdom, along with Old K ...

, or modern day

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km2, and it consists of the mainland ...

. His tale is mentioned in the Kedah Annals, where it mentions him as a hero who became the first king of Langkasuka.

The legend of Merong Mahawangsa

The Kedah Annals claimed that Merong was a descendant of dhul-qarnain(zulkarnain). According to the Kedah Annals, Merong was a fighter and ruler of an unknown kingdom. He travelled around from kingdom to kingdom, but mostly stayed in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. One day, he left Rome to do some trading in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. But then, after he passed the Arabian Sea, he was suddenly attacked by a legendary giant phoenix called

Garuda Garuda ( Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garu ...

, that destroyed most of Merong's fleet. They fled to the nearest land, which is

Bujang Valley The Bujang Valley ( ms, Lembah Bujang) is a sprawling historical complex and has an area of approximately situated near Merbok, Kedah, between Gunung Jerai in the north and Muda River in the south. It is the richest archaeological area in Ma ...

, where they settled and founded the kingdom of

. Merong was the original ruler of Langkasuka before he made his son, Merong Mahapudisat, the king. He returned to Rome, leaving his son to rule after. His fate was unknown, as some say that he died on his way to Rome. His son ruled Langkasuka, along with his descendants, until Phra Ong Mahawangsa converted into Islam and changed the Kingdom of Langkasuka into the

Sultanate of Kedah The Kedah Sultanate (كسلطانن قدح) is a Muslim dynasty located in the Malay Peninsula. It was originally an independent state, but became a British protectorate in 1909. Its monarchy was abolished after it was added to the Malayan Union ...

. He also changed his name into Sultan Mudzafar Shah. Later, the salutation for the king of Langkasuka changed into the Sultanate of Kedah. The name 'Langkasuka' can be divided into two parts: for which 'Langka' meant 'the land of glory' in Sanskrit, while 'suka' means 'joy' or 'happiness'.

Merong and his descendants

Below is the list of the eight rulers of Langkasuka, Merong and his descendants, according to the Kedah Annals: * King Merong Mahawangsa: A ruler from Rome who later settled in

and founded the Kingdom of Langkasuka. He is said to be a descendant to

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

. Merong had three sons, Merong Mahapudisat, Ganjil Sarjuna, and Seri Mahawangsa, and a daughter, Raja Puteri, who is the second youngest in the family. He was later succeeded by his eldest son, Merong Mahapudisat. Merong then left to Rome, leaving his son the ruler of Langkasuka. * King Merong Mahapudisat: He became the king of Langkasuka after his father, Merong Mahawangsa went back to

. He was the eldest son. Legends say that he was also the first king of

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. * King Ganjil Sarjuna: He was crowned king after his brother's death. He was the second eldest in the family. He founded the

Gangga Negara Gangga Negara is believed to be a lost semi-legendary Malay-Hindu kingdom mentioned in the Malay Annals that covered present day Beruas, Dinding and Manjung in the state of Perak, Malaysia with Raja Gangga Shah Johan as one of its kings. Res ...

kingdom. * Raja Puteri (in English, King Princess): She became the King of Langkasuka after her brother Ganjil Sarjuna died. She is the youngest daughter in the family. She was also the first ruler of Pattani. * King Seri Mahawangsa: He became the king of Langkasuka after his brother, Ganjil Sarjuna died. * Seri Maha Inderawangsa: He is the son of Seri Mahawangsa. He was called "Raja Bersiong" or the ''Fanged King'' because of his cannibalistic behaviour of drinking human blood. He was the successor of Seri Mahawangsa, but because of his behaviour, the ministers of the kingdom had no choice but to revolt against him. He fled to

Mount Jerai Mount Jerai ( ms, Gunung Jerai), formerly Kedah Peak, is a mountain in Kedah, Malaysia with the height of . Within Kedah itself, the mountain stands at the border of Kuala Muda and Yan districts. The mountain is a massive limestone outcrop and ...

, where he remained hidden for a long time and later had a son, who was called Phra Ong Mahapudisat. His son, unknowing of his royal lineage, lived in his mother's village before being called to the palace and had his identity revealed. * King Phra Ong Mahapudisat: After Seri Mahawangsa's death, Langkasuka needed a successor that had a royal blood. Phra Ong Mahapudist was crowned king after his father's death. * Sultan Mudzafar Shah, Phra Ong Mahawangsa: He was the only son of Phra Ong Mahapudisat. He was originally Hindu, but when

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

first came to the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula ( Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The ar ...

, he became a Muslim, changed his name into Sultan Mudzafar Shah, and the Kingdom of Langkasuka into the

Kedah Sultanate The Kedah Sultanate (كسلطانن قدح) is a Muslim dynasty located in the Malay Peninsula. It was originally an independent state, but became a British protectorate in 1909. Its monarchy was abolished after it was added to the Malayan Unio ...

Merong Mahawangsa in popular culture

* A

Royal Malaysian Navy The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ms, Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia; TLDM; Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defense operations. RMN's area of op ...

Vessel named ''

KD Mahawangsa KD ''Mahawangsa'' is a Royal Malaysian Navy 4,300-ton multi-role support ship based at Lumut Naval Base in Perak, Malaysia. It was named in honor of Merong Mahawangsa, the founder of the Old Kedah. KD stands for ''Kapal DiRaja'' which means ''H ...

'' is named in his honour. * " The Malay Chronicles: Bloodlines" was a 2011 Malaysian epic film that tells the life and adventures of the warrior, who is portrayed by British actor Stephen Rahman-Hughes. * In the Thai film "

Queens of Langkasuka ''Queens of Langkasuka'' ( th, ปืนใหญ่จอมสลัด; ) is a 2008 Thai historical fantasy adventure film directed by Nonzee Nimibutr, and written by two-time S.E.A. Write Award winner Win Lyovarin. Known as "Pirates Of Langka ...

", the Kingdom of

is mentioned to have been attacked by a rebellion allied with pirates.

References

External links

Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa
- A manuscript at

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia The National University of Malaysia ( ms, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, abbreviated as UKM) is a public university located in Bandar Baru Bangi, Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. Its teaching hospital, Universiti Kebangsaan Malays ...

* {{Authority control History of Malaysia Malay folklore History of Kedah Malay culture People from Kedah

The legend of Merong Mahawangsa

Merong and his descendants

Merong Mahawangsa in popular culture

See also

References

External links