Sultan Mahmud Mangkat Dijulang

Makam Sultan Mahmud Mangkat Dijulang

Makam Sultan Mahmud Mangkat Dijulang is a famous historical tomb in Kota Tinggi, Johor in Malaysia. It is situated in a village near Kota Tinggi town, Kampung Makam. Its main feature is the Tomb of Sultan Mahmud Shah, who was the last ruler of Johor descended from the Sultans of Malacca.


The story of Sultan Mahmud Mangkat Dijulang

The tomb's legend is found in the book, Tuhfat al-Nafis. In 1699, during the reign of Sultan Mahmud Shah II, pirates were storming the shores of southern Johor, from Mersing to Pulau Penyengat and Riau. Laksamana (Admiral) Megat Seri Rama, known as Laksamana Bentan, named after his origin, Bintan Island, was ordered to stop the menace. He left his beloved wife, Dang Anum who was heavily pregnant behind while he went to stop the pirate attacks.

His absence presented an opportunity to a former palace officer, who was jealous of Megat Seri Rama, to plot against him. Wan Anum eagerly craves a piece of jackfruit, taken from the palace orchard, that was on its way to be presented to the Sultan. The penghulu or the head of a sub-district, who was sending the fruit to the palace sympathised with Wan Anum. He stole a piece of jackfruit and gave it to Wan Anum. The Sultan, who noticed that the fruit had been cut, before he tasted the fruit, was so angered with the penghulu's action. His thoughts were also poisoned by the jealous palace officer who said that Wan Anum's action had obviously brought shame to the Sultan, leaving the Sultan to eat the rest of the fruit after her. The sultan ordered the women to the palace for punishment. Desperate for her life and the child she bore in her belly, Wan Anum told the sultan that the fruit that she ate was for her child. The Sultan asked for proof and the woman's belly was cut, and the child was seen with the piece of the jackfruit.

The murder was kept secret to all the palace inhabitants. Laksamana Megat Seri Rama discovered the murder of his wife and child when he returned from the war. He decided to seek revenge. On one Friday afternoon, during the Friday prayers, while the Sultan was lifted up (julang) by his men, he was ambushed and stabbed to death by the Laksamana. Before he drew his last breath, he cast a curse which forbidded the sons of Bintan to touch the grounds of Kota Tinggi for eternity. If not, all of them will vomit blood to death. The Laksamana died as well as the sultan. Sultan Mahmud Syah, was known then as Sultan Mahmud Mangkat Dijulang, buried in Kampung Makam, Kota Tinggi, while Laksamana Megat Seri Rama at Kampung Kelantan, also in Kota Tinggi. To this day, people still believed that the curse still exist and most Bintanese still feared to come to Kota Tinggi. (Other versions of this story state that the curse lasts merely seven generations.)

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