Mahsuri binti Pandak Mayah was a young woman who lived in Pulau Langkawi, an island in northwestern

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 mainla ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, during the late

18th century The 18th century lasted from January 1, 1701 ( MDCCI) to December 31, 1800 ( MDCCC). During the 18th century, elements of Enlightenment thinking culminated in the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions. During the century, slave tradin ...

. According to folklore, she was accused of

adultery Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and leg ...

and executed by

stabbing A stabbing is penetration or rough contact with a sharp or pointed object at close range. ''Stab'' connotes purposeful action, as by an assassin or murderer, but it is also possible to accidentally stab oneself or others. Stabbing differs fr ...

. Her

tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immuremen ...

, ''Makam Mahsuri'', has become a tourist attraction on the island.

Legend

Mahsuri was the daughter of a Siamese who moved from their native

Phuket Province Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands o ...

to the island of Langkawi in search of a better life. She was the most beautiful woman in all of Langkawi and married the warrior Wan Darus. As was required of him, her husband had to go to war on behalf of Kedah against Thailand, leaving Mahsuri behind to fend for herself. It was during this time that Mahsuri befriended a young traveler named Deramang. The village chief's wife Wan Mahora was jealous of Mahsuri's beauty. She spread a rumour that Mahsuri was unfaithful and was having an affair with Deramang in the absence of Wan Darus. Eventually, the rumours grew strong enough that the villagers openly accused her of adultery. Mahsuri pleaded her innocence, but no one believed her. Mahsuri was to be tied to a tree and stabbed to death but it didn't work. After every execution attempt failed, Mahsuri told them to kill her with her family's '

keris The kris, or ''keris'' in the Indonesian language, is an asymmetrical dagger with distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). Of Javanese origin, the kris is famous for its disti ...

'. When she was stabbed, white blood flowed from the wound, signifying her innocence. Some birds flew above her to cover her body. With her dying breath, Mahsuri cursed Langkawi to have seven generations of bad luck. The kingdom was soon raided by the Siamese armada. The villagers at Padang Mat Sirat burned their paddy fields rather than let them fall into the hands of the Siamese. Mahsuri's family returned to Siam, (later known as Thailand)

Impact

Many

Langkawi Langkawi, officially known by its sobriquet Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah ( ms, Langkawi Permata Kedah ), is a duty-free island and an archipelago of 99 islands (plus five small islands visible only at low tide in the Strait of Malacca) locat ...

locals believe the legend to be true, citing the decades of failed crops that followed Mahsuri's death. Langkawi was also attacked by Thailand numerous times, the last invasion taking place in 1821. The field which was torched by the farmers is still known as '' Beras Terbakar'' or "burnt rice". It is only at the end of the 20th century after the seven generations have supposedly come to pass, that

began to prosper as a tourist destination. Mahsuri's descendants continue to live in Bukit, Thailand, and have on occasion returned to Langkawi to visit her tomb. Among them was Sirintra Yayee (ศิรินทรา ยายี), real Malay name: Wan Aishah Wan Nawawi, who came into the spotlight during her visit to

in 2000.

References

External links

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Descendants of the White Blooded-Lady
{{Mythology of Malaysia 1819 deaths Asian mythology Malaysian people of Thai descent Executed Malaysian women People executed for adultery Year of birth unknown Malaysian mythology Malaysian legends Thai people of Malay descent