Radin Mas Ayu

Radin Mas Ayu (Jawi: رادين ماس آيو; Javanese: ꦫꦢꦶꦤ꧀ꦩꦱ꧀ꦲꦪꦸ; literally "Princess of Golden") was a Javanese princess, who is the namesake of the Radin Mas subzone in Bukit Merah. She is believed to have been buried at Mount Faber in Singapore, reportedly the site of her demise. She has also appeared in popular culture, being portrayed by Malaysian actress Latifah Omar in a 1959 biographical drama film adaptation of her story.

Background

According to the legend, Radin Mas Ayu was a princess from Java, born from a secret marriage between a prince named Pangerang and a troupe dancer.[1][2][3] When the ruling Sultan found out about the secret marriage, he ordered the execution of Pangerang for marrying a lowly commoner, which resulted in the widowed Pangerang and his daughter escaping to Temasek and starting a new life there. It is said that later on he took a new wife of royal blood, whom despised Radin Mas Ayu.[1][2][3][4] The stepmother and her nephew, Tengku Bagus, planned to assasinate Pangerang, which was foiled by a prince named Tengku Cik.[3] During an armed confrontation at Mount Faber, Tengku Bagus thrust a dagger at Pangerang, but Radin Mas Ayu jumped between them and shielded her father from the blade, resulting in her ultimate demise.[1][2][3][5]

Another version of the story, published by The Straits Times, relates that Pangerang married a daughter of one of the Temenggongs of Johor, hence setting this story in the 19th century CE, which was the time period of Temenggong rule.[6] The Temenggong connection is further explored in a later story, which states that Radin Mas was a Shi'ite woman who converted to Sunni Islam to marry Temenggong Abdul Rahman, but was not allowed to be buried in his royal burial ground upon her death due to the fact that she had Shi'ite origins.[7]

Tomb

The mausoleum of Radin Mas Ayu sits at the foothills of Mount Faber and is regarded as a keramat.[8][9][10] It is painted in yellow to signify the royalty of the entombed.[8][9] The date of construction is unknown and the mausoleum first appears in pictures dated to the 1880s.[8] It was also part of a cemetery that is seemingly no longer extant. The building was completely rebuilt in 2002 at the behest of Pak Daeng, the current caretaker of the place.[11]

Due to an increase in practices at the site that are deemed un-Islamic by the caretaker, the mausoleum is partly managed by the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura who have printed signs at the grave asking that visitors be mindful of the Islamic religious practices at graves.[8][9] Security cameras have also been installed at the gates to deter grave robbers and paranormal investigators from breaking in and disrupting the sanctity of the site.[8]

Legacy

Radin Mas Ayu is the namesake of the Radin Mas neighbourhood, as well as the Radin Mas Constituency, in Bukit Merah.[12][13] A mosque in Telok Blangah was named after her, Masjid Radin Mas, until it was demolished in 2001 and replaced by a larger mosque, Masjid Al-Amin, also located in the same area.[14] In 1926, the Radin Mas Boys School was established, which later evolved into the secular nongendered Radin Mas Primary School in 1984.[15]

In 1959, Cathay-Keris Films produced a black-and-white film, Radin Mas, which was an autobiographical drama adapatation of the legend.[16] Directed by L. Krishnan, the film starred Malaysian actress Latifah Omar as Radin Mas Ayu, while M. Amin portrayed her father Pangerang.[17][18] The film alternates between scenes depicting the story and scenes depicting the present, with the latter showing scenery and shots of the mausoleum of Radin Mas, although some of the shots were of a fake grave prop created for the film.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Pugalenthi (2002). Myths and Legends: Singapore. Singapore: VJ Times. pp. 89–99.
  2. ^ a b c Lee, Olive (1980). Radin Mas: Folktale from Singapore. Spectrum Pub Co. pp. 2–29.
  3. ^ a b c d "The Legend of Radin Mas Ayu". www.roots.gov.sg. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
  4. ^ "Where a Noble Princess Gave Her Life to Save Prince". The Straits Times. 27 February 1987. p. 16.
  5. ^ Raashid, Yakub (31 May 1984). "Radin Mas". Berita Harian. p. 4.
  6. ^ Tay, Stacey (24 March 1989). "Courageous Girl Plays a Golden Princess". The Straits Times. p. 3.
  7. ^ "Once a palace, now a school". The Singapore Free Press. 3 February 1951. p. 3.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Gibson, William (2022). "A complete catalog of keramat in Singapore". Lee Kong Chian Research Fellowship Submission (Digitised ed.): 152–219 – via National Library Board.
  9. ^ a b c Muhammad Faisal Husni (2018). The grave that became a shrine: the lives of keramat graves in Singapore (Master of Arts (Research) thesis). Nanyang Technological University. doi:10.32657/10220/47512. hdl:10220/47512.
  10. ^ "Vol. 76, No. 2 (285), 2003 of Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society on JSTOR". www.jstor.org. Retrieved 2026-02-09.
  11. ^ Saparin, Nazri (19 January 2003). "Pak Daeng Penjaga Makam Radin Mas" [Pak Daeng guards the tomb of Radin Mas]. Berita Harian. p. 11.
  12. ^ "Where a Noble Princess Gave Her Life to Save Prince". The Straits Times. 27 February 1987. p. 16.
  13. ^ Tahir, Ibrahim (2013). A village remembered: Kampong Radin Mas. Singapore: OPUS Editorial Private Limited.
  14. ^ Eunos, Nadzri (3 July 2001). "Bakti Masjid Radin Mas Terus Di Hidupkan" [Services in Radin Mas Mosque Continues to be Active]. Berita Harian. p. 5.
  15. ^ "School Histories: Radin Mas Primary School". MOE Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
  16. ^ "Kg. Folk See 'Raden Mas'". The Straits Times. 23 August 1959. p. 11.
  17. ^ Fern, O.S. (11 September 2002). "Return to the Golden Era". The Straits Times. p. 12.
  18. ^ Tong, L.K. (1991). Cathay: 55 Years of Cinema. Singapore: Landmark Books. pp. 190–192.
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