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The best known legend of Langkawi
is Mahsuri, a fair maiden who lived in
Langkawi over 200 years ago. Whilst her
husband was away at war against the
Siamese troops, her mother-in-law who
was jealous of her beauty vengefully
accused Mahsuri of adultery. Mahsuri
protested her innocence but the village
elders tried the young girl, found her
guilty and sentenced her to death by stab-
bing. She was tied to a stake but when
she was pierced with the ceremonial
dagger she bled white blood, a sign of her
innocence. It is said that with her dying
breath, Mahsuri cursed the island with
seven generations of bad luck.
Ironically, it was these beliefs that
seemed to have held back Langkawi’s
economic growth for some time. How-
ever, looking at Langkawi today, the
‘curse of Mahsuri’ was clearly broken and
the island has since become a fantastic
hub of activity and development. The
living standard has improved greatly over
the years, and the island is turning into
a successful commercial centre. Still, the
legend of Mahsuri makes a great story
to be told time and time again. Visitors
of the island can even pay a visit to a
mausoleum that is claimed to be hers
located in Kampung Mawat, aptly named
‘Makam Mahsuri’.
BURNT RICE
Padang Matsirat is a quiet strip along
Langkawi that houses a number of vil-
lages, or kampungs, as they are known
in Malay. Kampung Raja is one of the
viilages that is located along Padang
Matsirat and it is where local attraction
‘The Field of Burnt Rice’ is located. Back
in its heyday, Kampung Raja was once
the location of the island’s rice granary.
During the Siamese invasion of Langkawi
in 1821, the Chieftain of Langkawi, Dato’
Karma Jaya, ordered the granary to be
burnt in order to starve the enemy and
for the village’s grain supply to be buried
a few meters below ground in a hidden
underground cellar.
The local villages scorched the rice
paddy fields in an effort to stop them
from falling into the hands of the Siamese
troops, thus its name ‘The Field of Burnt
Rice’. Not only did the rice fields catch
fire, but the underground cellar as well.
To this day, it is alleged that the remnants
of the burnt rice surfaces whenever there
is heavy rain.
A painting depicting the
Legend of Mahsuri
The scenic and beautiful
Telaga Tujuh