Sri Maharaja Sang Sapurba Paduka Sri Trimurti Tri Buana,[citation needed] (1245–1316) also known as Sri Nila Pahlawan,[1] is a figure in the Malay Annals, highly revered as the legendary great ancestor of some of the major dynasties of the Malay world: Singapura, Malacca, Pahang, Johor, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu and Siak Sri Indrapura.[citation needed] Legend has it that after his accession to Seguntang Hill with his two younger brothers, Sang Sapurba enters into a sacred covenant with Demang Lebar Daun the native ruler of Palembang, which laid the basis of the proper relationship between the Malay rulers and the subjects.[2] The legendary sword believed to be carried by the king, the Cura Si Manjakini, is now formed part of the regalia of Perak Sultanate, whose rulers are said directly descended from the king.[3] The details of Sang Sapurba stories are mainly composed of folklore and legends, and thus his historical existence is debated and disputed by modern historians. Even so, as De Jong argued in her article The Character of Malay Annals, the stories of the Malay Annals could have been realistically mixed with the historical figures and events.[4]

Legend

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Tradition in the Malay Annals hold that the founder of the major line of rulers in the Malay world was a prince named Sang Sapurba who alleged to be the descendant of Dhul-Qarnayn.[citation needed] Sang Sapurba, then known as Sri Nila Pahlawan first revealed himself with his younger brothers, Sri Krishna Pandita and Sri Nila Utama, upon the sacred hill of Seguntang in the hinterland of Palembang. The name of the princes varied in different versions of the Malay Annals. In Winstedt's version, they are known as Bichitram, Paladutani dan Nilatanam, while in Abdullah's version, they are Bichitram Syah, Nila Pahlawan dan Kama Pandita.[5] Two young women who dwelt upon the hill, Wan Empuk and Wan Malini, are said to have seen a great light shining through the darkness of night. On ascending the hill in the morning they found that their rice crops had transformed the grain into gold, the leaves into silver, the stalks into golden brass. Proceeding further, they came across three young men, the eldest of whom was mounted on a silver white bull and was dressed as a king, while the two younger, his brothers, bore a sword, a lance and a signet that indicated sovereign power. The two women were greatly astonished at the refined appearance and elegant apparel of the young men, and thought that they must be the cause of the phenomenon which had appeared in their rice grounds. The curious young women immediately inquired who they were, where they came from and whether they were spirits or fairies. The eldest prince replied that they were neither spirits nor fairies, but that of men and they are princes from the line of the Great Alexander seeking his inheritance on earth. Then, Wan Empuk and Wan Malini asked what proofs they could produce of the truth of this relation, Nila Pahlawan said that let the crown he is wearing serves an evidence of descent and if any farther proof wanting, consider the phenomenon which the women have seen on their rice grounds. Then out of the mouth of the bull there issued a sweet-voiced herald, who at once proclaimed in Sanskrit language, the eldest prince to be a king bearing the title of 'Sang Sapurba Trimurti Tri Buana'.[6][7]

The Covenant

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The newly installed sovereign afterwards descended from the hill of Seguntang into the great plain watered by the Palembang river, where he married Wan Sendari, the daughter of the local chief, Demang Lebar Daun, and was everywhere accepted as ruler of the land.[citation needed] Prior to his marriage, Sang Sapurba made the famous pact with Demang Lebar Daun, who abdicated in favour of him:

Demang Lebar Daun said, "Your Highness, the descendants of your humble servant shall be the subjects of your Majesty's throne, but they must be well treated by your descendants. If they offend, they shall not, however grave be their offence, be disgraced or reviled with evil words: if their offence is grave, let them be put to death, if that is in accordance with the dvine law. And the king replied, "I agree to give the undertaking for which you ask: but I in my turn require an undertaking from you, sir. " And when Demang Lebar Daun asked what the undertaking was, the king answered, "that your descendants shall never for rest of time be disloyal to my descendants, even if my descendants oppress them and behave evilly. " And Demang Lebar Daun said, "Very well, your Highness. But if your descendants depart from the terms of the pact, then so will mine. " And Sang Sapurba replied, "Very well, I agree to that covenant."[8][9]

At a later date Sang Sapurba is said to have crossed the great central range of Sumatra into the Minangkabau Highlands, where one of his warriors, Permasku Mambang, slew the great serpent Saktimuna using his legendary sword, Cura Si Manjakini, and was made the king of a grateful people and the founder of the long line of Princes of Minangkabau.[10]

Royal dynasties

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A. Samad Ahmad's version of the Malay Annals identified Sri Tri Buana who reigned in Palembang and the founder of ancient Singapura as the youngest brother of Sang Sapurba, Sri Nila Utama. In A. Samad Ahmad's version, Sang Sapurba was said to have reigned only in Minangkabau.[11] On the other hand, Shellabear and Leyden's versions noted that Sang Nila Utama who reigned in Bintan and later founded ancient Singapura was the son of Sang Sapurba.[12][13] The Misa Melayu and Silsilah Perak that contains comprehensive genealogical tree of the Sultans of Perak agreed with Shellabear and Leyden's versions, tracing the lineage of the rulers of Perak directly from Sang Sapurba.[14] If these versions of the Malay Annals and the Perak text are to be taken into account, the line of rulers descended from Sang Sapurba should have begun with Sang Nila Utama who founded the Kingdom of Singapura in 1299. Four generations of rulers reigned over the island kingdom before the last ruler, known in certain accounts as Parameswara, fled after a Majapahit invasion in 1398. In 1400, Parameswara reached the mouth of Bertam River in the Malay Peninsula, where he established Melaka Sultanate. During the reign of Mansur Shah of Melaka (r. 1459–1477), an heir apparent named Raja Muhammad whose mother was a captured princess of Pahang, was banished for committing murder and went into exile. He was then proclaimed and installed as Sultan of Pahang in 1470. The Portuguese invasion of Melaka in 1511 caused a major split of the royal house when Muzaffar Shah the son of Mahmud Shah of Melaka (r.1488–1511) was invited by the people of Perak to rule the state. Another son, Alauddin Riayat Shah II established the Johor Sultanate to succeed Melaka in 1528.

In 1636, the Achehnese installed a prince from Siak to the throne of Perak following the demise of Sultan Salehuddin Shah (r.1630–1635) in exile in Aceh. The new Sultan who reigned as Muzaffar Shah II (r. 1636–1654) also claimed descent from a branch of Sang Sapurba dynasty in Siak.[14] He married Fatima Puteh the elder daughter of Raja Muda of Pahang, Raja 'Abdu'llah by his wife, Putri Perak, who in turn was the granddaughter of Sultan Mansur Shah I of Perak (r. 1549–1577).[citation needed] Earlier in 1623, Pahang was united with the crown of Johor[citation needed] and the rulers from Melaka dynasty continued to reign in the state until 1688, when the Bendahara of Johor effectively consolidated the state as his personal fief.

The royal line of Sang Sapurba was finally ended in Johor when Mahmud Shah II of Johor (r. 1685–1699) was assassinated by Megat Seri Rama, popularly known as Laksamana Bintan, leaving behind no male heir. As a result, Bendahara Abdul Jalil declared himself the next Sultan of Johor. Upon ascending the throne, the new Sultan Abdul Jalil IV killed all the wives of Sultan Mahmud to avoid the possibility of any future claims to the throne. However, according to the Hikayat Negeri Johor (Chronicles of the State of Johor) and the Pahang Manuscripts, a wife by the name of Cik Apung the daughter of Laksamana managed to escape to Minangkabau and gave birth to Raja Kechil.[citation needed] Less than two decades later in 1717, Raja Kechil would assemble a fleet from Minangkabau and succeed temporarily in ousting Sultan Abdul Jalil's successor Sultan Sulaiman and gain the Johor Sultanate, basing his legitimacy on the claim that he was the post-humous son of Sultan Mahmud Shah II. However, Bugis mercenaries that assisted him in this campaign changed sides and he was eventually forced to flee to Siak, where he founded Siak Sultanate.

Family Tree of Sang Sapurba
Sang Sapurba
Kingdom of
Singapura
Sri Tri Buana
Singapura
(1)
r. 1299-1347
Sri Wikrama
Wira

Singapura
(2)
r. 1347-1362
Tun Perpatih
Pramuka
Berjajar

Bendahara
of Singapura

(1)
Sri Rana
Wikrama

Singapura
(3)
r. 1362-1375
Sri Maharaja
Singapura
(4)
r. 1375-1389
Malacca
Sultanate
Iskandar
Singapura
(5)
r. 1389-1398
Melaka
(1)
r. 1402-1414
Tun Perpatih
Besar
Megat
Iskandar

Melaka
(2)
r. 1414-1424
♀ Tun Ratna
Sendari
Mani Purindan
Muhammad
Melaka
(3)
r. 1424-1444
♀ Tun Ratna
Wati
Radin Anum
B. S. A. D
(2)
Abu Syahid
Melaka
(4)
r. 1444-1446
Muzaffar
Melaka
(5)
r. 1446-1459
♀ Raja TuaTun Perpatih
Sedang

B. S. R
(3)
r. 1444-1445
Mansur
Melaka
(6)
r. 1459-1477
Tun Ali
B. S. N. D
(4)
r. 1445-1456
♀ Tun KuduTun Perak
B. P. R
(5)
r. 1456-1498
Pahang
Sultanate
Ahmad I
Pahang
(2)
r. 1475-1495
Muhammad
Pahang
(1)
r. 1470-1475
Alauddin I
Melaka
(7)
r. 1477-1488
♀ Tun SenajaTun Mutahir
B. S. M
(7)
r. 1500-1510
Tun TahirTun Pikrama
B. P. T
(8)
r. 1510-1511
Bendahara of
Johor
Mansur I
Pahang
(4)
r. 1495-1519
♀ Raja Putri
Olah
Mahmud I
Pahang
(5)
r. 1519-1530
Abdul Jamil
Pahang
(3)
r. 1495-1512
♀ Raja WatiMahmud
Melaka
(8)
r. 1488-1511,
1513-1528
♀ Tun FatimahTun HassanTun Khoja
Ahmad

B. P. R
(1)
r. 1513-1520
Perak
Sultanate
Johor
Sultanate
Raja Ahmad♀ Raja Puspa
Dewi
Muzaffar
Pahang
(6)
r. 1530-1540
Zainal Abidin
Pahang
(7)
r. 1540-1555
Muzaffar I
Perak
(1)
r. 1528-1549
Ahmad
Melaka
(9)
r. 1511-1513
Alauddin II
Johor
(1)
r. 1528-1564
Tun Mad AliTun Isap
Berakah

B. P. T
(2)
r. 1520-?
Mansur II
Pahang
(8)
r. 1555-1560
Abdul Jamal
Pahang
(9)
r. 1560-1575
Abdul Kadir
Pahang
(10)
r. 1560-1590
Abdul Jalil II
Johor
(4)
r. 1571-1597
♀ Raja FatimahMuzaffar II
Johor
(2)
r. 1564-1570
Tun JenalTun Mahmud
B. T. N. W
(3)
♀ Daughter
Raja Asif♀ Raja PutihAbdul Ghafur
Pahang
(12)
r. 1592-1614
Ahmad II
Pahang
(11)
r. 1590-1592
Mansur I
Perak
(2)
r. 1549-1577
Alauddin III
Johor
(5)
r. 1597-1615
Abdul Jalil I
Johor
(3)
r. 1570-1571
Tun Isap
Misai

B. S. M
(5)
r. ?-1571
Raja MahmudRaja AbdullahAlauddin
Pahang
(13)
r. 1614-1615
Tajul Ariffin
Perak
(4)
r. 1584-1594
Mukaddam
Perak
(6)
r. 1603-1619
Abdul Jalil III
Johor
(7)
r. 1623-1677
♀ Raja Putri
Kamarliah
Abdullah
Johor
(6)
r. 1615-1623
♀ Tun GenggangTun Ahmad
B. P. R
(6)
r. 1571-1586
Muzaffar II
Perak
(10)
r. 1636-1653
♀ Raja Putri
Fatima Putih
Ahmad
Tajuddin

Perak
(3)
r. 1577-1584
Mahmud I
Perak
(8)
r. 1627-1630
Raja Bajau
Yamtuan Muda
of Pahang

r. 1641-1676
Tun Sri
Lanang

B. P. R
(7)
r. 1586-1615
Mahmud
Iskandar

Perak
(11)
r. 1653-1720
Raja MansurRaja InuSalehuddin
Perak
(9)
r. 1630-1636
Ibrahim
Johor
(8)
r. 1677-1685
Tun Mad Ali
B. P. R
(10)
r. 1642-?
Alauddin
Perak
(12)
r. 1720-1728
Muzaffar III
Perak
(13)
r. 1728-1754
Muhammad
Perak
(14)
r. 1744-1750
Alauddin
Perak
(5)
r. 1594-1603
Mansur II
Perak
(7)
r. 1619-1627
Mahmud II
Johor
(9)
r. 1685-1699
Tun Habib
Abdul Majid

B. S. M
(12)
r. 1677-1697
Sultanate of
Siak Sri
Indrapura
Iskandar
Zulkarnain

Perak
(15)
r. 1752-1765
Mahmud II
Perak
(16)
r. 1765-1773
Alauddin
Mansur

Perak
(17)
r. 1773-1786
Ahmaddin
Perak
(18)
r. 1786-1806
Abdul Jalil
Johor
(11)
r. 1718-1722
Siak
(1)
r. 1722-1746
Abdul Malik
Mansur

Perak
(19)
r. 1806-1825
Raja Inu
Muhammad
Saleh
Raja Abdul
Rahman
Muhammad
Siak
(2)
r. 1746-1760
Abdul Jalil
Siak
(4)
r. 1761-1766
Abdullah
Muazzam

Perak
(20)
r. 1825-1830
Raja AhmadShahabuddin
Perak
(21)
r. 1830-1851
Abdullah
Muhammad I

Perak
(22)
r. 1851-1857
Ismail
Siak
(3)
r. 1760-1766,
1779-1781
Muhammad Ali
Siak
(5)
r. 1766-1779
♀ Tengku
Embung
Sayyid Osman
Jaafar
Perak
(23)
r. 1857-1865
Raja Alang
Iskandar
Ali
Perak
(24)
r. 1865-1871
Yusuf
Perak
(27)
r. 1886-1887
Yahya
Siak
(6)
r. 1781-1791
Raja HusseinAli
Siak
(7)
r. 1791-1811
Raja MusaIdris I
Perak
(28)
r. 1887-1916
Abdullah
Muhammad II

Perak
(26)
r. 1874-1877
♀ Raja
Mandak
Raja Syed
Hitam
Ibrahim
Siak
(8)
r. 1811-1827
Abdul Aziz
Perak
(31)
r. 1938-1948
Abdul Jalil
Perak
(29)
r. 1916-1918
Iskandar
Perak
(30)
r. 1918-1938
Ismail
Perak
(25)
r. 1871-1874
Ismail
Siak
(9)
r. 1827-1864
Kasim I
Siak
(10)
r. 1864-1889
Yusuf
Perak
(32)
r. 1948-1963
Idris II
Perak
(33)
r. 1963-1984
Hasyim
Siak
(11)
r. 1889-1908
Azlan
Perak
(34)
r. 1984-2014
Kasim II
Siak
(12)
r. 1915-1946
Terengganu
Sultanate
Nazrin
Perak
(35)
r. 2014-present
Abdul Jalil IV
Johor
(10)
r. 1699-1718
Zainal Abidin I
Terengganu
(1)
r. 1708-1733
Sulaiman I
Johor
(12)
r. 1722-1760
Tun Abbas
B. S. M
r. 1721
Mansur I
Terengganu
(2)
r. 1733-1794
Pahang
Kingdom
Temenggong
of Johor
Abdul Jalil V
Johor
(13)
r. 1760-1761
Tun
Abdul Majid

B. P. R
(1)
r. 1770-1802
Tun
Abdul Jamal

T. P. R
r. 1757-1802
Zainal Abidin II
Terengganu
(3)
r. 1794-1808
Ahmad
Johor
(14)
r. 1761-1770
Mahmud III
Johor
(15)
r. 1770-1811
Tun
Muhammad

B. S. M
(2)
r. 1802-1803
Tun Koris
B. P. R
(3)
r. 1803-1806
Tun
Abdul Hamid

T. P. M
r. 1803-1806
Ahmad I
Terengganu
(4)
r. 1808-1830
Abdul
Rahman

Terengganu
(5)
r. 1830-1831
Mansur II
Terengganu
(7)
r. 1831-1836
Riau-Lingga
Sultanate
Hussein
Johor
(17)
r. 1819-1835
Abdul
Rahman I

Johor
(16)
r. 1811-1819
Riau
(1)
r. 1818-1832
Tun Ali
B. S. M
(4)
r. 1806-1857
Abdul Rahman
T. S. M
r. 1806-1825
Daud
Terengganu
(6)
r. 1831
Omar
Terengganu
(8)
r. 1831,
1839-1876
Tengku MahmudMuhammad I
Terengganu
(9)
r. 1836-1839
Modern Pahang
Ali Iskandar
Johor
(18)
r. 1835-1855
Muhammad II
Riau
(2)
r. 1832-1841
Sulaiman II
Riau
(4)
r. 1857-1883
Tun
Muhammad
Tahir

B. S. M
(5)
r. 1857-1863
Ahmad
B. S. M
(6)
r. 1863-1881
Sultan
(1)
r. 1881-1909
Tun Ibrahim
T. S. M
r. 1841-1855
Maharaja
(de facto)
of Johor

r. 1855-1862
Ahmad II
Terengganu
(10)
r. 1876-1881
Modern Johor
Mahmud IV
Riau
(3)
r. 1834-1857
Abdullah
Pahang
(3)
r. 1917-1932
Mahmud II
Pahang
(2)
r. 1909-1917
Abu Bakar
T. S. M
r. 1862-1868
Maharaja
r. 1868-1886
Sultan
(1)
r. 1886-1895
Zainal Abidin III
Terengganu
(11)
r. 1881-1918
♀ Tengku
Embung
Fatimah
Raja
Muhammad
Yusuf

Yamtuan Muda
of Riau

r. 1858-1899
Abu Bakar
Pahang
(4)
r. 1932-1974
Tengku
Muhammad
Ibrahim
Johor
(2)
r. 1895-1959
Muhammad II
Terengganu
(12)
r. 1918-1920
Sulaiman
Terengganu
(13)
r. 1920-1942
Ismail
Terengganu
(15)
r. 1945-1979
Abdul
Rahman II

Riau
(5)
r. 1883-1911
Ahmad
Pahang
(5)
r. 1974-2019
♀ Tengku
Afzan
Ismail
Johor
(3)
r. 1959-1981
Ali
Terengganu
(14)
r. 1942-1945
Mahmud
Terengganu
(16)
r. 1979-1998
Iskandar
Johor
(4)
r. 1981-2010
Mizan
Zainal Abidin

Terengganu
(17)
r. 1998-present
Abdullah
Pahang
(6)
r. 2019-present
♀ Tunku
Azizah
♀ Raja Zarith
Sofiah
Ibrahim
Johor
(5)
r. 2010-present
Tengku
Muhammad
Ismail
Tengku
Hassanal
Ibrahim
Tunku Ismail

References

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  1. ^ Leyden 1821, p. 23
  2. ^ Sabrizain, p. The Tuah Legend
  3. ^ The Straits Times 1939
  4. ^ Hussain 2005, p. 9
  5. ^ Ahmad 1979, p. 313
  6. ^ Leyden 1821, pp. 20–24
  7. ^ Ahmad 1979, pp. 19–22
  8. ^ Leyden 1821, pp. 26–27
  9. ^ Ahmad 1979, pp. 25–27
  10. ^ Ahmad 1979, p. 28
  11. ^ Ahmad 1979, pp. 23–34
  12. ^ Leyden 1821, p. 36
  13. ^ Andaya 2008, p. 100
  14. ^ a b Siti Hawa 2010, p. 111

Bibliography

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  • Ahmad, A. Samad (1979), Sulalatus Salatin (Sejarah Melayu), Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, ISBN 983-62-5601-6, archived from the original on 2013-10-12
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