MAHSURI

MAHSURI

KHAYRATUN ADNI BINTI KHAIRULAMRI
4 AMETHYST

MAHSURI

Mahsuri Binti Pandak Mayah was a
young woman who lived in Pulau
Langkawi, an island in Kedah,
Malaysia, during the late 18th
century. According to folklore, she
was accused of adultery and
executed by stabbing. Her tomb,
Makam Mahsuri, has become a
tourist attraction on the island.

Mahsuri was the daughter of a Malay farmer who moved
from their native Negeri Pulau Bukit 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 or Wan Derus. 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
traveller named Deraman. 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 Deraman 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'. 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 taken over by Thailand. The
villagers at Padang Mat Sirat burned their
own paddy fields rather than let them fall into
the hands of the Thai colonizers.

Mahsuri's family returned to
Negeri Pulau Bukit, which soon

annexed by Thailand and
changed to Phuket due to

massive Thainization of Thai
Malays by the emerging
colonizers.