BADANG

Badang was a Siamese[1] boy from Sayong Pinang, located in present-day Johor. He was the only
son of two poor farmers who worked hard until the day they died. As a young man, Badang worked
as a coolie for the rich farmer Orang Kaya Nira Sura in a place called Salung or Saluang
in Aceh, Sumatra (modern-day Indonesia). Badang was small-statured and the weakest of his group.
Their job was to clear through the undergrowth to make way for new fields. As slaves, they didn't get
paid and received only a few handfuls of rice each day. This was hardly enough to satisfy the hunger
of such arduous work, so Badang relied on catching fish for extra sustenance. He set his fish-traps
along the stream every evening and gathered the net the following morning..
One morning Badang found his traps empty. The leftover bones and scales proved that someone
had eaten his catch. This went on for a few days and Badang was angry. Not only was he not getting
enough to eat, his friends even laughed at his plight. Expecting this to be the doing of some wild
animal, Badang armed himself with a rattan stick (or a parang in some versions) and hid in the
bushes of the jungle. Drifting in and out of sleep, Badang dreamt that he was strong enough to lift a
boat with all its load. He dreamt that he lifted a great big rock and threw it into the air. The rock
travelled many miles and landed at the mouth of a river. In his dream Badang was very rich and lived
in a palace with many servants waiting on him. His mother, father and sister wore fine clothes and
lived with him in the palace. He also dreamt that he swallowed something that came out of the
mouth of an ugly beast, giving him the strength to lift a rock over his head and throw it into the air.
At dawn, Badang saw none other than the demon from his dream. The beast was a hantu air, a
water spirit capable of taking the form of any flora and fauna which lives around bodies of water. In
some versions it looked like a short old man with long white hair. In other versions it looks
deceptively fierce with tusks, horns, and hair on its chest, arms and legs. In every version it is
described as having eyes red as fire, long matted hair, and a long beard covering its chest or
reaching its waist.
Badang snuck up on the demon and used the empty net to tie its hair to a rock. The demon turned
out to be a timid creature and begged for mercy. He promised to grant Badang any wish if he spared
his life. Badang thought of wishing to be invisible but knew he would be hunted and killed. He
thought of asking for riches but knew that whatever he owns belongs to his master. Instead he
wished for strength so that he would not tire during his chores. The demon said that if Badang
wanted great strength he would have to swallow whatever he coughs up. The demon vomited all the
fish he had swallowed and Badang ate each one bit by bit. (In some versions the demon coughed
out two red gems called geliga for Badang to swallow.)
True to the demon’s word Badang became immensely strong. As he walked back, Badang tested his
strength on the trees. Nira Sura inquired how such a large section of the forest was cleared so
quickly and Badang explained everything that had transpired. The landowner was so grateful for the
servant's loyalty that he freed Badang from slavery on the condition that he never boasts of his
strength and uses it to help others. Now a free man, Badang worked for a number of people before
heading to the Kingdom of Singapura.
One day in his new home Badang saw fifty men trying to push a heavy boat into the water. Badang
continually offered to help but the men refused, saying that no one so small would make any
difference. The king Paduka Seri Rana Wikrama eventually sent for 300 men to help push the vessel
but it was to no avail. When he saw Badang being refused, the king gave Badang the chance to
push the boat by himself. Everyone present was shocked to find that the small-framed Badang could
move the ship after 300 people had just failed to do so. He was summoned to the court of Seri Rana
Wikrama and was asked to display his strength. The king ordered several of his ministers to sit on a
long bench, which Badang lifted effortlessly. After this, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the
army.
Badang was frequently asked to do favours. He often helped farmers and villagers carry their goods
in place of a horse and carriage. The king once asked him to gather the tasty kuras leaves from
Kuala Sayong in Sumatra, so Badang set off in a boat by himself. When he climbed the kuras tree,
its branch broke and Badang fell a long way, his head hitting a rock. To his surprise, Badang was
completely unharmed and the rock was split in two. Today that rock is called the Split Stone (Batu
Belah).
Over time, Badang had become known in other nearby countries as well. The king of Kalinga wanted
to test Badang's strength against his own champion, Nadi Bijaya (or Wadi Bijaya) who was reputed
to be stronger than all the other strongmen of his kingdom. The Indian warrior sailed to the Malay
Archipelago and greeted the local king with the friendly challenge. Seri Rana Wikrama took great
pleasure in tests of skill and agreed. As decreed by the Indian king, the loser would owe the victor
seven ships of cargo. Badang competed against Nadi Bijaya in several contests of strength and
wrestling but the result was always tied. Finally, Nadi Bijaya suggested that whoever can lift the
large rock in front of the palace shall be declared the winner. He then lifted the rock to his knees and
immediately dropped it. When it was Badang's turn, he lifted the rock above his head and threw it,
where it landed at the mouth of the Singapore River.The rock was blown to pieces in 1843. A
fragment, known as the Singapore Stone now sits at the National Museum of Singapore. Nadi Bijaya
acceded to the agreement and gave Badang the seven ships of cargo before returning to Kalinga.
Badang spent many years in Singapura defeating challengers from other countries, including the
champion of Java. He eventually grew tired of the attention and requested that he retire from the
king's service. After Badang died, even the Indian ruler who sent Nadi Bijaya grieved and sent a
marble stone to be placed at the head of Badang's grave.
 CHE SITI WAN KEMBANG

Che Siti Wan Kembang is the legendary queen regnant over a region in the east coast
of Peninsular Malaysia, which is now encompassed within Kelantan state. She is believed to have
ruled in the 16th century.
Che Siti was famous for her beauty and wisdom. She is descendant from the royal lineage
of Champa-Kelantan-Pattani.
She was also known as a warrior princess and was said to be able to enter battle on horseback with
a sword with an army of female horseriders. It was said that she and her adopted daughter, Puteri
Saadong had mystical powers.
A pair of muntjacs — being the queen's favourite pet — is depicted in Kelantan's state emblem to
represent her prominence in the state's rich history.[1]

Background[edit]
According to certain historical records, Che Siti Wan Kembang was born in 1585. Her parents were
Raja Ahmad and Cik Banun, both of royal lineage. Raja Ahmad was crowned Ruler of Kelantan in
1584.
However, Raja Ahmad died in 1589, when the princess was only 4 years old. Therefore, Raja
Hussein of Johor was made Regent of Kelantan. Che Siti Wan Kembang ascended to the throne of
Kelantan in 1610 AD upon the death of Raja Hussein. She was said to have resided in Gunung
Chinta Wangsa, Ulu Kelantan, located approximately 40 km from Kuala Krai.
Che Siti never married, and therefore never had children of her own. She adopted Puteri
Saadong as her daughter. Puteri Saadong was the princess of the ruler of Jembal, whom Che Siti
had close ties with.

Kijang Coins[edit]
Differing views are given regarding the origin of the Kijang gold coins. Kijang means "muntjac" in
the Malay language and derives its name from the engravings of said animal on the coin. The Kijang
coins are generally associated with Che Siti.[2]
According to Kelantanese folklore, the kijang is her favorite pet and has always fond of it since
young while some stories suggest that there are once an Arab trader come to her country and
seeking permission to trade presented a muntjac to the Queen as a gift. She became very fond of
the muntjac and taking it as her pet to the point she ordered its image to be inscribed on the gold
coins of her country.
Another version was linked to the influence of Saivite Hinduism. The connection was based on the
fact that the earliest issue of Kijang coins resembled the Indian humped-back bull and the bull motif
was depicted on ancient Hindu coins which were circulated in the northern Malay states.[3]

Jelasin Fort[edit]
Jelasin fort is situated approximately 4 to 8 kilometres from Kota Bharu, the state capital of Kelantan.
It was built in 1563 for Cik Siti Wan Kembang, her adopted daughter Puteri Saadong and Puteri
Saadong's husband, Raja Abdullah.[4]
The fort was made from thick wood with beautiful carvings and was very famous during the reign of
Che Siti. It was used to defend Kelantan from outside attacks. According to history, Jelasin Fort was
attacked by the King of Siam and Puteri Saadong disappeared after that. The condition of the fort
soon deteriorated after her disappearance and the ruins of the fort is hardly noticeable nowadays as
not much effort has been taken to conserve it.[5]

Succession[edit]
Legend has it that Che Siti never died but instead "disappeared" into the mystical world, and
reappears from time to time. After her "disappearance", she was succeeded by her adopted
daughter, Puteri Saadong, who was the youngest daughter of Raja Jembal.