"For this act of injustice Langkawi shall not prosper for seven generations to come." ~ was her last words…
A story I’d like to share… truth is, I only knew very little of it… the more I read, the more it entwines me into it’s mysticism…
Mahsuri was a young woman who lived in Langkawi, Malaysia (a few centuries back). According to folklore, she was accused of adultery and died under tragic circumstances for a crime she did not commit.
Her tomb, Makam Mahsuri, has become a tourist attraction on the island.
Mahsuri was the daughter of a Thai couple who moved from their native Phuket to the island of Langkawi in search of a better life. Of likely aristocratic blood, as she is often called Princess Mahsuri, she was the most beautiful in all of Langkawi and married the warrior Wan Darus, the son of Dato Karma Jaya, chieftain of Langkawi. As was required of him, her husband had to go to war, leaving Mahsuri behind to fend for herself.
While her husband was away fighting the invading Siamese army, Mahsuri befriended a travelling musician from Malacca by the name Deramang, who has put up at Mahsuri's parents' house. The village chief's wife, Mahura (her mother-in-law) 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. When the rumour reached her father-in-law, Dato Karma Jaya, he was furious and ordered that she be put to death. Mahsuri pleaded her innocence, but no one believed her.
In Padang Hangus, Mahsuri was tied to a tree (or pole) and stabbed to death but it didn't work. After every execution attempt failed, Mahsuri told them her secret. She can only be killed using her family's kris (dagger). As proof of her innocence, some people say, white blood was seen gushing out of her wound when they successfully stabbed her. Instantly, a mysterious mist shrouded the area and some birds flew above her to cover her body. With her dying breath, Mahsuri cursed Langkawi to have seven generations of bad luck. Her heart broken husband Wan Darus eventually left Langkawi to settle with his infant son in Phuket, Thailand where Mahsuri’s descendants continue to live.
Whether or not you believe the supernatural elements of the story, many islanders of Langkawi believe the legend to be true, citing the decades of bad luck as cursed, failed crops that followed Mahsuri's death and numerous attacks by Siam (Thailand), the last invasion took place in 1821.
Kampong Raja at Padang Matsirat was the ancient capital of Langkawi. During the heyday of Langkawi the island's rice granary was located there. Dato Karma Jaya, in order to starve the enemy, ordered the village granary be burnt. The paddy field which was torched by the villagers is still known as Beras Terbakar (burnt paddy/rice). The burnt rice is said to have been buried a few metres below ground but even today, remnants of the burnt paddy can be seen re-surfacing from the earth on rainy days.
A traditional house rebuilt to signify the spot where the grains was burnt deep into the ground.
Thus, for seven generations, it had been a land of isolation and misfortune. Myth, legend or fantasy?
It is only at the end of the 20th century, after the seventh generation have supposedly come to pass, that Langkawi began to prosper as a tourist destination.
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