Sang Sapurba

Sri Maharaja Sang Sapurba Paduka Sri Trimurti Tri Buana,^[1] also known as Sri Nila Pahlawan,^[2] 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.^[1] 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.^[3] 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.^[4] 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.^[5]

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 with his Indian wife.^[1] 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.^[6] 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 been 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'.^[7][8]

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.^[1] 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."[9][10]

”

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.^[11]

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.^[12] 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.^[13][14] 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.^[15] 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 began 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 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 Empire 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 Acheh. The new Sultan who reigned as Muzaffar Shah II (r. 1636–1654) also claimed descent from a branch of Sang Sapurba dynasty in Siak.^[15] He married to 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).^[16] Earlier in 1623, Pahang was united with the crown of Johor^[17] 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 (r. 1685–1699) was assassinated by Megat Seri Rama, 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.^[18] 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.

  A Monarch   Raja Bendahara of Pahang

Sang Nila Utama Singapura r. 1299-1347

Tun Perpatih Pramuka Berjajar Bendahara of Singapura

Sri Wikrama Wira Singapura r. 1347-1362

Sri Rana Wikrama Singapura r. 1362-1375

Tun Perpatih Besar Sri Nara Diraja

Tun Perpatih Tulus Bendahara of Singapura - Melaka

Sri Maharaja Singapura r. 1375-1389

Iskandar Shah Singapura r. 1389-1398 Melaka r. 1400-1414

Mani Purindan

♀Tun Ratna Sendari

Megat Iskandar Shah Melaka r. 1414-1424

Tun Ali Bendahara of Melaka V

♀Tun Ratna Wati

Muhammad Shah Melaka r. 1424-1444

Tun Perpatih Pramuka Berjajar II Bendahara of Melaka II

Tun Tahir

Tun Mutahir Bendahara of Melaka VIII

Seri Amar Diraja Bendahara of Melaka III

Tun Perpatih Sedang Bendahara of Melaka IV

Muzaffar Shah Melaka r. 1446-1459

Abu Syahid Shah Melaka r. 1444-1446

Tun Perak Bendahara of Melaka VI

Tun Perpatih Putih Bendahara of Melaka VII

Mansur Shah Melaka r. 1456-1477

♀Putri Wanang Seri Lela Wangsa

Tun Tepok Bendahara of Melaka IX

Tun Pikrama

Alauddin Riayat Shah Melaka r. 1477-1488

Ahmad Shah r. 1475-1497^(2)

Muhammad Shah r. 1470-1475^(1)

♀Mengindra Putri

Tun Khoja Ahmad Bendahara of Johor I

Mahmud Shah Melaka r. 1488-1511

Mansur Shah I r. 1512-1519^(4)

♀Raja Putri Olah

Mahmud Shah r. 1519-1530^(5)

Abdul Jamil Shah r. 1495-1512^(3)

Tun Isap Barakah

Muzaffar Shah I Perak r. 1528-1549

Alauddin Riayat Shah II Johor r. 1528-1564

♀Raja Putri Dewi

Zainal Abidin Shah r. 1540-1555^(7)

♀Tun Kamala

Muzaffar Shah r. 1530-1540^(6)

Tun Mahmud Bendahara of Johor III

♀Putri

Mansur Shah I Perak r. 1549-1577

Muzaffar Shah II Johor r. 1564-1570

♀Raja Kemala Dewi

Raja Ahmad of Terengganu

Mansur Shah II r. 1555-1560^(8)

Abdul Jamal Shah r. 1560-1575^(9)

Abdul Kadir Alauddin Shah r. 1575-1590^(10)

Tun Isap Misai Bendahara of Johor IV

Alauddin Mansur Syah Aceh r. 1579-1586

Ahmad Tajuddin Shah Perak r. 1577-1584

Tajul Ariffin Shah Perak r. 1584-1594

♀Putri

A Sultan of Aceh

Tun Ahmad

Mukaddam Shah Perak r. 1603-1619

Mahmud Shah Perak r. 1627-1630

Raja Inu

Tun Sri Lanang Bendahara of Johor V

♀Putri

Abdullah ibn Shaykh al-Aydarus

Alauddin Shah Perak r. 1594-1603

Mansur Shah II Perak r. 1619-1627

Tun Jenal Bendahara of Johor VII

Ali Jalla Abdul Jalil Shah II Johor r. 1571-1597

♀Putri of Saiful Rijal of Brunei

Ahmad Shah II r. 1590-1592^(11)

♀Putri Bongsu Chandra Dewi Putri of Siak

♀Ratu Ungu Pattani r. 1624-1635

Abdul Ghafur Muhiuddin Shah r. 1592-1614^(12)

♀Raja Putri Zohra Putri of Saiful Rijal of Brunei

♀Tun Kaishi

Sayyid Zainal Abidin a.k.a Tun Dagang

Abdul Jalil Shah I Johor r. 1570-1571

Abdullah Ma'ayat Shah Johor r. 1615-1623

♀Raja Putri Kamarliah

Iskandar Thani Aceh r. 1610-1641

♀Ratu Kuning Pattani r. 1635-1688

Alauddin Riayat Shah r. 1614-1615^(13)

Raja Abdullah

♀Putri

Alauddin Riayat Shah III Johor r. 1597-1615

Tun Muhammad Ali

Abdul Jalil Shah III Pahang r. 1615-1617^(14) Johor-Pahang r. 1623-1677^(15)

Raja Bajau Yamtuan Muda of Pahang r. 1641–1676^(16)

Muzaffar Shah II (Son of Raja Mahmud of Siak) Perak r. 1636-1654

♀Raja Putri Fatima Puteh

Sayyid Jaafar Raja Temenggung of Muar

Tun Habib Abdul Majid Bendahara of Johor XII

Ibrahim Shah Johor-Pahang r. 1677-1685^(17)

Mahmud Iskandar Shah Perak r. 1654-1720

Raja Mansur

♀Putri Bakal

Mahmud Shah II Johor-Pahang r. 1685-1699^(18)

Alauddin Mughayat Shah Perak r. 1720-1728

Muzaffar Shah III Perak r. 1728-1752

Muhammad Shah Perak r. 1744-1750

Tun Mas Anum Bendahara of Johor XIV

Tun Abdullah Bendahara of Johor XV

Zainal Abidin I Terengganu r. 1725-1733

Abdul Jalil Shah IV Bendahara of Johor XIII 1697-1699 Sultan of Johor r. 1699-1718

Iskandar Zulkarnain Shah Perak r. 1752-1765

Mahmud Shah Perak r. 1765-1773

Alauddin Mansur Shah Perak r. 1773-1786

Ahmaddin Shah Perak r. 1786-1806

Mansur Riayat Shah Terengganu r. 1733-1793

Tun Abbas Bendahara of Johor XVII 1722-1736

Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah Johor r. 1722-1760

♀Raja Mandak

Raja Syed Hitam of Siak

Abdul Malik Mansur Shah Perak r. 1806-1825

Abdul Jalil Muazzam Shah Johor r. 1760-1761

Ismail Mua'bidin Riayat Shah Perak r. 1871-1874

Raja Inu Muhammad Saleh

Raja Abdul Rahman

Tengku Muhammad

Zainal Abidin II Terengganu r. 1793-1808

Tun Hassan Bendahara of Johor XVIII 1736-1770

Tun Abdul Majid Bendahara of Johor XIX Raja Bendahara of Pahang I r. 1770-1802

Tun Abdul Jamal Temenggong of Johor

Daeng Maimuna daughter of Daeng Parani

Shahbuddin Riayat Shah Perak r. 1830-1851

Abdullah Muhammad Shah Perak r. 1851-1857

Long Sulong Tengku Putri of Kelantan

Ahmad Kelantan r. 1886-1890

Ahmad Shah I Terengganu r. 1808-1830

Tun Koris Bendahara of Johor XXI Raja Bendahara of Pahang III 1803-1806

Tun Muhammad Bendahara of Johor XX Raja Bendahara of Pahang II 1802-1803

Ahmad Riayat Shah Johor 1761-1761

Mahmud Shah III Johor 1761-1812

Ali Al-Mukammal Inayat Shah Perak r. 1865-1871

Yusuf Sharifuddin Mudzaffar Shah Perak r. 1877-1887

Mansur Shah II Terengganu r. 1831-1836

Abdul Rahman Shah Terengganu r. 1830-1831

Tun Ali Bendahara of Johor XXII Raja Bendahara of Pahang IV 1806-1847

Tun Abdul Hamid (Engku Daeng Kechil) Temenggong of Johor

Raja Ahmad

Abdullah Muazzam Shah Perak r. 1825-1830

Muhammad III Kelantan r. 1890-1891

Mansur Kelantan r. 1891-1900

Tun Mutahir Bendahara of Johor XXII Raja Bendahara of Pahang V 1847-1863

Ahmad Muadzam Shah Raja Bendahara of Pahang VI 1863-1881 Sultan of Pahang r. 1881-1914

Ungku Abdul Rahman Temenggong of Johor

Hussein Muazzam Shah Johor 1819-1835

Abdul Rahman Muazzam Shah Johor 1812-1819

Jaafar Muazzam Shah Perak r. 1857-1865

Raja Alang Iskandar

Muhammad IV Kelantan r. 1900-1920

Muhammad Shah Terengganu r. 1836-1839

Daud Terengganu r. 1831

Omar Terengganu r. 1839-1876

Tun Daeng Ibrahim Temenggong of Johor

Ali Iskandar Shah Johor r. 1835-1855 Sultan of Muar r. 1855-1877

Abdullah Muhammad Shah II Perak r. 1874-1876

Raja Musa

Idris Murshidul'azzam Shah Perak r. 1887-1916

Ismail Kelantan r. 1920-1944

Ibrahim Kelantan r. 1944-1960

Tengku Mahmud

Mahmud Shah r. 1914-1917

Abdullah Al-Mu'tasim Billah Shah r. 1917-1932

Abu Bakar Temenggong of Johor 1862-1868 Sultan of Johor r. 1868-1886

Abdul Aziz Al-Mu'tasim Billah Shah Perak r. 1938-1948

Iskandar Shah Perak r. 1918-1938

Abdul Jalil Karamatullah Shah Perak r. 1916-1918

Yahya Petra Kelantan r. 1960-1979

Ahmad Muazzam Shah Terengganu r. 1876-1881

Tengku Muhammad

Abu Bakar Riayatuddin Al-Muadzam Shah r. 1932-1974

Ibrahim Johor r. 1895-1959

Idris Iskandar Al-Mutawakkil Alallah Shah Perak r. 1963-1984

Yusuf Izzuddin Shah Perak r. 1948-1963

Zainal Abidin III Muazzam Shah Terengganu r. 1881-1918

♀Tengku Afzan

Ahmad Shah r. 1974-present

Muhammad Muazzam Shah Terengganu r. 1918-1920

Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Terengganu r. 1945-1979

Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah Terengganu r. 1920-1942

Ismail Johor r. 1959-1981

Ismail Petra Kelantan r. 1979-2010

Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah Terengganu r. 1979-1998

Ali Shah Terengganu r. 1942-1945

Iskandar Johor r. 1981-2010

Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Perak r. 1984-2014

Muhammad V Kelantan r. 2010-present

Mizan Zainal Abidin Terengganu r. 1998-present

Tengku Abdullah

♀Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah

Ibrahim Ismail Johor r. 2010-present

♀Raja Zarith Sofia

Nazrin Shah Perak r. 2014-present

References

1. Buyers, p. Genealogy of Malacca-Johor
2. Leyden 1821, p. 23
3. Sabrizain, p. The Tuah Legend
4. The Straits Times 1939
5. Hussain 2005, p. 9
6. A. Samad 1979, p. 313
7. Leyden 1821, pp. 20–24
8. A. Samad 1979, pp. 19–22
9. Leyden 1821, pp. 26–27
10. A. Samad 1979, pp. 25–27
11. A. Samad 1979, p. 28
12. A. Samad 1979, pp. 23–34
13. Leyden 1821, p. 36
14. Andaya 2008, p. 100
15. Siti Hawa 2010, p. 111
16. Buyers, p. Genealogy of Perak
17. Buyers, p. Genealogy of Pahang
18. Buyers, p. Genealogy of Malacca-Johor 4

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