Lapped by the waters of the Andaman Sea, Langkawi is more than a beach paradise and unspoiled nature reserve. Its mist-covered mountains and jungle-clad hills, padi fields of golden rice at harvest time or emerald grasses at planting time, are a wondrous background to legends and fairy-tales. The sophistication of its hotels, the hi-tech living deemed necessary for today’s urban visitors, detracts little from the charm of the magic on offer.
Langkawi, or Pulau Langkawi to give the main island it’s full name, is 30 KL from Kuala Perlis from which point a number of Thai islands can be seen.
The Tomb of Mahsuri, Langkawi Island
The most popular legend is that of Mahsuri, a maiden who lived over 200 years ago and who died in tragic circumstances for a crime she did not commit. Accused of adultery and sentenced to death by her father-in-law, a sharp ancestral kris was plunged into her body. But the blood that poured from the wound was white instead of red. Today her tomb is a holy shrine, gleaming white among the rice fields, and women seeking to become pregnant come here to pray for a miracle.
Broken Pot at Kuah, the Fight Between the Mountains
The name Kuah means gravy, and the capital gets it name from a fight between the two mountains that dominate Langkawi’s interior which, legend has it, were human in earlier days. During a fracas at a wedding between the daughter and son of the mountains, pots and pans were thrown about, a gravy pan was broken and its contents spilled on the ground. The place were this happened was Kuah and the exact place where the gravy was spilled is called Belanga Pecah which means Broken Pot.
The Cave with a Legend, Langkawi
In the Northwest of the island is a cave which supposedly hid a Chinese Princess abducted by the legendary Garuda who saw her marriage as a threat to his kingdom. However, a Roman prince fell from the boat during the ensuing battle but managed to reach the shore and arrived at the cave where the Princess had been hidden. Love blossomed and the Garuda vanished from the earth in disgrace. Visit it by boat and climb the rickety ladder to the cave for a future full of good luck.
The Legend of the Burnt Rice and the Poisoned Wells
Hardly a legend, more a true story but already it is being embellished. It is a true story of how during the Siamese invasion of Langkawi in 1821 the headman of the island ordered the granary where the island’s rice was stored to be burned down. This was so that the enemy could not benefit from it and would starve. It is said that remnants of the burnt rice can still be seen today on a rainy day, black grains lying just under the soil. Nearby is an enticing market which makes the trip to Beras Terbakar (Burnt Rice) worth while.
Booking.com
Visitors are advised to leave scepticism behind when they visit Langkawi, be prepared to believe in omens and signs, and suspend totally, their disbelief. Only then will the magic of Langkawi work.
Author Twinkle Brar
Langkawi, or Pulau Langkawi to give the main island it’s full name, is 30 KL from Kuala Perlis from which point a number of Thai islands can be seen.
The Tomb of Mahsuri, Langkawi Island
The most popular legend is that of Mahsuri, a maiden who lived over 200 years ago and who died in tragic circumstances for a crime she did not commit. Accused of adultery and sentenced to death by her father-in-law, a sharp ancestral kris was plunged into her body. But the blood that poured from the wound was white instead of red. Today her tomb is a holy shrine, gleaming white among the rice fields, and women seeking to become pregnant come here to pray for a miracle.
Broken Pot at Kuah, the Fight Between the Mountains
The name Kuah means gravy, and the capital gets it name from a fight between the two mountains that dominate Langkawi’s interior which, legend has it, were human in earlier days. During a fracas at a wedding between the daughter and son of the mountains, pots and pans were thrown about, a gravy pan was broken and its contents spilled on the ground. The place were this happened was Kuah and the exact place where the gravy was spilled is called Belanga Pecah which means Broken Pot.
The Cave with a Legend, Langkawi
In the Northwest of the island is a cave which supposedly hid a Chinese Princess abducted by the legendary Garuda who saw her marriage as a threat to his kingdom. However, a Roman prince fell from the boat during the ensuing battle but managed to reach the shore and arrived at the cave where the Princess had been hidden. Love blossomed and the Garuda vanished from the earth in disgrace. Visit it by boat and climb the rickety ladder to the cave for a future full of good luck.
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The Legend of the Burnt Rice and the Poisoned Wells
Hardly a legend, more a true story but already it is being embellished. It is a true story of how during the Siamese invasion of Langkawi in 1821 the headman of the island ordered the granary where the island’s rice was stored to be burned down. This was so that the enemy could not benefit from it and would starve. It is said that remnants of the burnt rice can still be seen today on a rainy day, black grains lying just under the soil. Nearby is an enticing market which makes the trip to Beras Terbakar (Burnt Rice) worth while.
Booking.com
Visitors are advised to leave scepticism behind when they visit Langkawi, be prepared to believe in omens and signs, and suspend totally, their disbelief. Only then will the magic of Langkawi work.
Author Twinkle Brar
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