Makam Mahsuri or Mahsuri Mausoleum was erected to commemorate the ill-fated Langkawi maiden. Of likely aristocratic blood, as she is often called Princess Mahsuri, she was wedded to Mat Darus, the son of Dato Karma Jaya, chieftain of Langkawi. While her husband was away fighting the invading Siamese army, Mahsuri became friends with a travelling musician from Malacca by the name Deramang, who has put up at Mahsuri's parents' house. Very soon rumours were flying around the village that Mahsuri was involved in an affair with Deramang. When the rumour reached her father-in-law, Dato Karma Jaya, he was furious and ordered that she be put to death.
Despite protesting her innocence, Mahsuri was put to death. When the kris was plunged into Mahsuri, she bled white blood, signifying her innocence. With her dying breath, she laid a curse on Langkawi that it would remain barren for seven generations. Her heart broken husband Mat Darus eventually left Langkawi to settle with his infant son in Phuket, where today there are about thirty living descendents of Mahsuri.
Tim (right) and Chooi Yoke at the Mahsuri Mausoleum.
Locals believed that Mahsuri's curse did take effect, for Langkawi was soon invaded by Siam. To starve the invading Siamese soldiers, Dato Karma Jaya ordered that all the rice on the island be collected and burned at Padang Mat Sirat. It was again another of Dato Karma Jaya's foolish move, for it backfired on the islanders who were themselves starved to death.
In an intertwining of fact and fiction, Langkawi stayed desolate for seven generations, and was only rediscovered recently. Locals believed that the seven generations have passed, for Langkawi has since leapfrogged into becoming one of Malaysia's major tourist destinations.
The mausoleum complex dedicated to Mahsuri has since been spruced up to include a showcase of traditional Malay architecture, a museum detailing the life of Mahsuri and her descendents.
Makam Mahsuri (Mahsuri Mausoleum) Photo Gallery
Traditional Malay houses are showcased at the mausoleum complex.
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