STUNNING
ROYAL BEAUTY OF MOUNT OPHIR OR GUNUNG LEDANG
A Popular medieval romantic
Malay folklore, still alluded to by the older generation, is about
the Fairy Princess of Mount Ophir or Puteri Gunung Ledang
in Malay.
Mount
Ophir is in Johor state, close to the Malacca/Johor border. According
to the legend, the princess was of slim build and medium height
and stunning beautiful. Further, she was also endowed with a sinuous
movement that accentuated every curve of her lithe body. Men were
naturally attracted to her but amongst the many she was claimed
to have spurned was the Sultan of Malacca. Legend has it that the
princess eventually married one Nakhoda Ragam, a hero whose name
unfailingly struck terror inti the hearts of those who had dared
to oppose him. But this hero was later to die at the hands of his
princess-wife.
Ragam
was found of tickling the Princesss ribs and one day, in an
uncontrollable burst of reaction, the Princess stabbed her husband
in the breast with a needle she was handling. Therefore the Princess
returned to Mount Ophir and vowed never to set eyes on another man.
Ragams boat, not long after, was crushed during a storm and
legend has it that the debris of the wreck transformed into the
present six islands off Malacca.
It
was claimed that the boats kitchen became Pulau Hanyut,
the cake-tray, Pulau Nangka, the water-jar, Pulau Undan,
the incense-burner, Pulau Serimbun, the hen-coop, Pulau
Burong the honey moon cabin of Ragam and the Princess, Pulau
Besar.