Sang Sapurba

Sri Maharaja Sang Sapurba Paduka Sri Trimurti Tri Buana, (1245–1316) also known as Sri Nila Pahlawan, 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. 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. 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. 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.

Legend

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. 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. 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'.

The Covenant

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. 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."

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.

Royal dynasties

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. 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. 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. 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. 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). Earlier in 1623, Pahang was united with the crown of Johor 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. 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 Tua Tun 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 Kudu Tun 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 Senaja Tun Mutahir B. S. M (7) r. 1500-1510 Tun Tahir Tun 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 Wati Mahmud Melaka (8) r. 1488-1511, 1513-1528 ♀ Tun Fatimah Tun Hassan Tun 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 Ali Tun 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 Fatimah Muzaffar II Johor (2) r. 1564-1570 Tun Jenal Tun Mahmud B. T. N. W (3) ♀ Daughter Raja Asif ♀ Raja Putih Abdul 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 Mahmud Raja Abdullah Alauddin 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 Genggang Tun 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 Mansur Raja Inu Salehuddin 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 Ahmad Shahabuddin 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 Hussein Ali Siak (7) r. 1791-1811 Raja Musa Idris 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 Mahmud Muhammad 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

Bibliography

• 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
• Abdul Rahman, Haji Ismail; Abdullah Zakaria, Ghazali; Zulkanain, Abdul Rahman (2011), A New Date on the Establishment of Melaka Malay Sultanate Discovered (PDF), Institut Kajian Sejarah dan Patriotisme ( Institute of Historical Research and Patriotism ), retrieved 2012-11-04
• Andaya, Leonard Y. (2008), Leaves of the Same Tree: Trade and Ethnicity in the Straits of Melaka, University of Hawaii Press, ISBN 978-0-8248-3189-9
• Brakel, L. F; Balfas, M.; M. Taib, Othman; Gonda, J.; Rangkuti, B.; Lumbera, B.; Kahler, H. (1976), Handbuch der Orientalistik: Literaturen, Abschn. 1, Brill Academic Publishers, ISBN 90-04-04331-4
• Hussain, Othman (2005), The Characteristics of the Malay Historiography (PDF), UTHM Institutional Repository
• Leyden, John (1821), Malay Annals (translated from the Malay language), Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown
• Ooi, Keat Gin (2004), Southeast Asia: a historical encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor, ABC-CLIO, ISBN 1-57607-770-5
• Ooi, Keat Gin (2009), Historical Dictionary of Malaysia, Scarecrow Press, ISBN 978-0-8108-5955-5
• Sabrizain, Sejarah Melayu - A History of Malay peninsula, retrieved 2012-10-04
• Siti Hawa, Haji Salleh (2010), Malay Literature of the 19th century, Institut Terjemahan Negara Malaysia, ISBN 978-983-068-517-5
• The Straits Times (1939), Sword of Alexander in State Regalia (2 March), retrieved 2012-12-15
• Windstedt, Richard Olaf (1938), "The Malay Annals or Sejarah Melayu", Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, XVI, The Branch