Respect for local traditions and customs should be part and parcel of the do's and don't's for any traveler.
The recent case of some climbers who decided to prance
around in their birthday suits on Mount Kinabalu in Sabah is a case in point.
It was no laughing matter.
There are loads of myths and legends in a culturally diverse
country such as Malaysia. It shouldn't come as a surprise then that some of the
nation's most beautiful landscapes hold the most fantastical stories.
1. Gunung Kinabalu, Sabah
With the recent headlines, this list would not be complete
without mentioning Malaysia's Unesco World Heritage site - Mount Kinabalu. The
highest mountain in the country is revered by the Kadazan Dusun people of Sabah
and is an integral venue of their beliefs.
Their ancestors believe that the mountain's peak rises to
the heavens, thus making it the final resting place of their dearly departed.
The Kadazan Dusun also believe that the mountain has been designated as the
centre of the world by the great deities Kinohiringan and Umunsumundu.
Another popular legend tells the story of a Chinese prince
who - upon slaying a ferocious dragon and retrieving a huge pearl that the
beast guarded - married a Kadazan Dusun maiden. However, he soon abandoned her
and return to China.
Heartbroken, the woman retreated to the mountain. It's
believed that she was soon turned into a stone and her wails can be heard in
the wind even till today.
2. Tasik Chini, Pahang
The quiet and tranquil beauty of Malaysia's second largest
natural freshwater lake betrays the fearsome myth that surrounds it.
For a very long time, an Orang Asli legend warned of a
dragon-like beast guarding the serene place. Known as Naga Seri Gumum, the
mythical animal has also been referred to as "Malaysia's Loch Ness
Monster".
Over the years, there have been odd reports of sightings of
the lake's gigantic occupant. Scientific study, however, hasn't uncovered the
existence of such a creature.
According to an old Orang Asli tale, one particular spot at
the lake is unnaturally calmer than its surrounding areas and one is advised to
keep quiet when passing by.
3. Gunung Santubong and Gunung Sejinjang, Sarawak
It's impossible to mention one without the other. The tale
of Princess Santubong and Princess Sejinjang is popular lore among Sarawakians
and has many versions.
According to legend, both were beautiful celestial beings
who, corrupted by vanity, quarrelled incessantly.
One day, the argument escalated and Sejinjang hit Santubong
on the cheek with a pestle. Santubong fell and materialised into what is today
Gunung Santubong.
Before her fall though, Santubong hurled a beam from her
weaving loom and cracked the head of Sejinjang, parts of which fell into the
sea to become islands, while others fell near Santubong to become Gunung
Sejinjang.
Today, the outline of Gunung Santubong depicts that of a
woman lying down, with a dent on the side of the "head" where the
princess had been hit.
4. Tasik Dayang Bunting, Langkawi
Located about 20km away from the town of Kuah is the
picturesque fresh water lake on the island of Dayang Bunting. The more popular
legend associated to the lake is that it's the favourite bathing pool of the heavenly
princess Mambang Sari.
Enraptured by her beauty, the mortal prince Mat Teja courted
the princess by means of magic trickery.
Both got married and a very pregnant Mambang Sari eventually
retreated to her favourite lake to give birth. Sadly, the newborn died after
seven days. Heartbroken, the grieving princess threw the infant's body into the
lake and returned to the heavens.
Today, the lake - translated from its Malay name, it means
Lake of the Pregnant Maiden - is sometimes visited by women who believe its
waters hold fertility powers.
5. Gunung Ledang, Johor
One of the most captivating Malaysian mythical tales belongs
to Puteri Gunung Ledang and the mountain she allegedly resides at.
Legend says the Majapahit Javanese-Hindu princess set seven
near-impossible conditions when Malacca's Sultan Mahmud Shah asked her hand for
marriage. The last term - a bowl of blood from the Sultan's young son - became
a deal breaker for the princess and the king was willing to stab his sleeping son
for it.
Deterred by the Sultan's coldheartedness, the princess
disappeared into her abode at the highest mountain (which used to be called Mt
Ophir) in the southern peninsula of Malaysia and was never to seen again
thereafter.
But then again maybe she has, if you take into account the
supernatural sightings of the legendary princess by hikers from time to time.
Source: Agency
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