Vacation to Mount Ophir
History 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 Princess’s 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. Ragam’s 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 boat’s 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.
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