Merong Mahawangsa

Merong Mahawangsa is a legendary warrior and a ruler who is said to be the first king of Langkasuka and later became the modern day, Kedah. The tale of Merong Mahawangsa is mentioned in the Kedah Annals. According to the annals, he was a hero and became the first king of Langkasuka

The Legend of Merong Mahawangsa

According to the lineage, Merong was a hindu ruler, and was somehow part of the Roman empire. Merong is said to have grown up in different parts of Kingdoms and comes from an Indian Lineage. He spends most of his life in Rome. Some says that Merong was part of the Roman Empire was because it was said that Merong was a descendent to Alexander the great.

According to the Kedah Annals which is supposed to be a record of the history of Kedah, Merong was a fighter and was a hindu ruler of an unknown kingdom. He travelled around from kingdom to kingdom, but mostly stayed in Rome as it is like his home. One day, Merong left Rome to do some trading in China. Merong and his fleet sailed from the coast of Arabia to China. But then, he was suddenly attacked by a legendary giant Phoenix called Garuda. Merong and his fleet was mostly destroyed. They fled to the nearest land, which is Bujang Valley. Merong settled there and created a state called Langkasuka (later became the Kingdom of Langkasuka, under the rule of King Merong Mahapudisat).

Merong was the original ruler of Langkasuka before he made his son, Merong Mahapudisat the king. Merong then left to Rome, leaving his son the ruler of Langkasuka. The fate of Merong was unknown, some says that he died instead going back to Rome. Merong Mahapudisat was later preceded by his ancestor until Phra Ong Mahawangsa converted into Islam and changed the Kingdom of Langkasuka into the Sultanate of Kedah. 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' was from the name of the great Jainism, Emperor Ashoka, who later converted into Buddhism.

Merong's tale is said to be a mythical legend and the Keddah Annals may not be a reliable source because this legend is not mentioned in the Malay Annals or other important annals.

The history of Merong Mahawangsa was not that famous or well known compared to the tale of Hang Tuah. However, KRU Studios has completed the production of its feature film entitled "Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa". The movie is based on the great tale and the myth of Merong Mahawangsa. It is Malaysia's second expensive movie production in the country.

Merong's Ancestors

Below is the list of the 8 ancestors of Merong Mahawangsa according to the Kedah Annals:

• King Merong Mahawangsa, A ruler from Rome and later settled in Bujang Valley and founded the Kingdom of Langkasuka. He is said to be a descendent to Alexander the great. He was a ruler and he was a Hindu. Merong have 3 son, Merong Mahapudisat is the eldest, Ganjil Sarjuna is the second eldest and Seri Mahawangsa, the youngest in the family. Merong also had a daughter, Raja Puteri 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 his original home, which is Rome. Merong Mahapudisat was the eldest son. He was also the first king of Siam.
• King Ganjil Sarjuna, Ganjil Sarjuna was crowned king after his brother's death. He was the second eldest in the family. He founded and became the first king of the Gangga Negara kingdom.
• Raja Puteri (in English, King Princess), She became the King of Langkasuka after his brother, Ganjil Sarjuna died. She is the youngest daughter in the family. She was also the first king 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 King Bersiong because of his cannibal behaviour and described to have drink human blood. He was the original succeeder of Seri Mahawangsa, But because of his behaviour, Seri Mahawangsa had no choice but to imprison him. Seri Maha Inderawangsa fled to Mount Jerai. He remained hidden for a long time and later had son, called Phra Ong Mahapudisat. Before the death of Seri Mahawangsa some years later after Phra Ong Maapudist was born, he asked his soldiers of Langkasuka to hunt Seri Maha Inderawangsa and kill him. He was later found and was ambushed by the soldiers of Langkasuka. He died but his son, Phra Ong Mahapudisat was spare because he was the only person that had royal blood.
• King Phra Ong Mahapudisat, After Seri Mahawangsa's death, Langkasuka needed a succeder that had a royal blood. Phra Ong Mahapudist was crowned king after his fathers death.
• Phra Ong Mahawangsa, He was the only son of Phra Ong Mahapudisat. He was originally Hindu, but when Islam first came to the Malay Peninsula, he accepted Islam and later became a Muslim. He later changed his name into Sultan Mudzafar Shah and changed the kingdom of Lankasuka into the Kedah Sultanate.

Merong Mahawangsa in popular culture

• A film made by KRU Studios named The Malay Chronicles: Bloodlines tells the life and adventures of Merong Mahawangsa.
• A Thai made film named Queens of Langkasuka mentioned the Kingdom of Langkasuka being attacked by a rebellion allied with pirates
• A Royal Malaysian Navy Vessel named KD Mahawangsa is named after Merong Mahawangsa ancient monarch's honor.

See also

• Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa
• Hikayat Hang Tuah
• Sejarah Melayu
• Sultanate of Kedah

External links

• Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa - A manuscript at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
• Low, James (1849). "A Translation of the Keddah Annals &c". The Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia 3: pp.1–23, 90–101, 162–181, 253–270, 314–336, 467–488. http://books.google.com/?id=WXMEAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover.