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Merong Mahawangsa is a legendary warrior and a ruler who is said to be the first king of Langkasuka, or the modern-day Pattani empire. His tale is mentioned in the Kedah Annals, where it mentions him as a hero who became the first king of Langkasuka.
The Kedah Annals claimed that Merong was a descendant of Alexander the Great (known in Malay legend as Iskandar 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. One day, he left Rome to do some trading in China. But then, after he passed the Arabian Sea, he was suddenly attacked by a legendary giant phoenix called Garuda, which destroyed most of Merong's fleet. They fled to the nearest land, which is Bujang Valley, where they settled and founded the kingdom of Langkasuka.
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 to Islam and changed the Kingdom of Langkasuka into the Sultanate of Kedah. He also changed his name to Sultan Mudzafar Shah.
Later, the salutation for the king of Langkasuka changed to 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'.
Below is the list of the eight rulers of Langkasuka, Merong and his descendants, according to the Kedah Annals:
Silat Melayu, also known as Seni Persilatan Melayu or simply Silat, is a combative art of self-defence from the Malay world, that employs langkah ('steps') and jurus ('movements') to ward off or to strike assaults, either with or without weapons. Silat traced its origin to the early days of Malay civilisation, and has since developed into a fine tradition of physical and spiritual training that embodies aspects of traditional Malay attire, performing art and adat. The philosophical foundation of modern Malay Silat is largely based on the Islamic spirituality. Its moves and shapes are rooted from the basis of Silat movements called Bunga Silat, and Silat performances are normally accompanied with Malay drum assembles.
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 consists of a mainland portion and the Langkawi islands. The mainland has relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice, while Langkawi is composed of mostly of uninhabited islands.
The Malay language has a complex system of styles, titles and honorifics which are used extensively in Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia and Singapore.
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 Kedah, is among the earliest kingdoms founded on the Malay Peninsula. The exact location of the kingdom is of some debate, but archaeological discoveries at Yarang near Pattani, Thailand suggest a probable location. The kingdom is proposed to have been established in the 1st century, perhaps between 80 and 100 AD.
Patani, or the Sultanate of Patani was a Malay sultanate in the historical Pattani Region. It covered approximately the area of the modern Thai provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and part of the northern modern-day Malaysian state of Kelantan. The 2nd–15th century state of Langkasuka and 6–7th century state of Pan Pan may or may not have been related.
Gangga Negara was a semi-legendary Malay-Hindu kingdom mentioned in the Malay Annals. Researchers believe that the kingdom was centred at Beruas and it collapsed after an attack by King Rajendra Chola I of Tamilakam, between 1025 and 1026. According to another Malay annals, the Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa known as the Kedah Annals, Gangga Negara may have been founded by Merong Mahawangsa's son Raja Ganji Sarjuna of Kedah, allegedly a descendant of Alexander the Great or by the Khmer royalties no later than the 2nd century. Raja Gangga Shah Johan was one of its kings.
The Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, alternatively spelt Hikayat Marong Mahawangsa and also known as the Kedah Annals, is a Malay literary work that gives a romantic account of the history and tales relating to the Malay kingdom of Kedah. The work is thought to have been written in the late 18th century or some time in the 19th century. Although it contains historical facts, there are also many incredible assertions in its accounts. The era covered by the text ranged from the opening of Kedah by Merong Mahawangsa, described as a descendant of Dhu al-Qarnayn until the acceptance of Islam.
The Kedah Sultanate 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 but was restored and added to the Malayan Union's successor, the Federation of Malaya.
Merbok is a mukim (sub-district) in the Kuala Muda District of Kedah, Malaysia. It is known for the historical Bujang Valley. The area also hosts the Kedah Campus of Universiti Teknologi MARA.
Kedahan Malays or commonly known as Orang Utara ('Northerners'), are a sub-group of Malays native to northern Malay Peninsula in areas of both current and historical area of Kedah. They are among the oldest ethnic groups in the Malay peninsula with a history dating back 2,800 years as proven by the discovery of sites in Bujang Valley and historical documents from India, China and Arabia. Kedahan Malays are one of the largest Malay sub-groups in Malaysia, comprising at least 15% of the total Malaysian Malay population including those with Kedahan ancestry.
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Paduka Sri Sultan Mudzaffar Shah I, styled Phra Ong Mahawangsa was a legendary king and was said to be the first Sultan of Kedah, according to the Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa. He was the last Hindu King of Kedah, styled Sri Paduka Maharaja Durbar Raja before his accession. After his conversion to Islam, he later became the founder of the Kedah Sultanate.
The Malay Chronicles: Bloodlines is a 2011 Malaysian Malay-language epic adventure film loosely based on the late 18th or 19th century document Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, which is also its title as released in Malaysia. The film is directed, co-written, and co-produced by Yusry Abdul Halim. The film stars Stephen Rahman-Hughes as Merong Mahawangsa, who escorts Prince Marcus Carprenius of the Roman Empire to Langkasuka to marry Princess Meng Li Hua from the Han Dynasty of China, thus uniting the two powers of East and West. The film was produced and distributed by KRU Studios.
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Sri Maharaja Sang Sapurba Paduka Sri Trimurti Tri Buana, (1245–1316) also known as Sri Nila Pahlawan, is a figure in the Malay Annals, highly revered as the legendary great ancestor of some of the major dynasties of the Malay world: Singapura, Malacca, Pahang, Johor, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu and Siak Sri Indrapura. Legend has it that after his accession to Seguntang Hill with his two younger brothers, Sang Sapurba enters into a sacred covenant with Demang Lebar Daun the native ruler of Palembang, which laid the basis of the proper relationship between the Malay rulers and the subjects. The legendary sword believed to be carried by the king, the Cura Si Manjakini, is now formed part of the regalia of Perak Sultanate, whose rulers are said directly descended from the king. The details of Sang Sapurba stories are mainly composed of folklore and legends, and thus his historical existence is debated and disputed by modern historians. Even so, as De Jong argued in her article The Character of Malay Annals, the stories of the Malay Annals could have been realistically mixed with the historical figures and events.
The Pahang Sultanate also referred as the Old Pahang Sultanate, as opposed to the modern Pahang Sultanate, was a Malay Muslim state established in the eastern Malay Peninsula in the 15th century. At the height of its influence, the sultanate was an important power in Southeast Asia and controlled the entire Pahang basin, bordering the Pattani Sultanate to the north and the Johor Sultanate to the south. To the west, its jurisdiction extended over parts of modern-day Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
Genealogies of Kedah Rulers can be found in two traditional Malay texts, the first one being Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, a chronicle written in the late 16th century, and the other is Al-Tarikh Salasilah Kedah, a royal-sanctioned history published in 1928. The records however do not provide consistent genealogies for the early Rulers of Kedah. According to the Hikayat, Kedah's first Ruler was Merong Mahawangsa. In the Salasilah, it is stated that the first Kedah Ruler was Derbar Raja I who originated from Persia in the 9th century CE.
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