Sunday, June 26, 2022
THE STORY OF KISAH MALIN KUNDANG
Once upon a time, in a small village near the coast in West Sumatra, there lived a woman and her son, Malin Kundang. Malin Kundang's father had died when he was young, and he had to live a hard life with his mother.
Malin Kundang was a healthy, diligent and strong boy. He usually went out to sea to catch fish, and brought them to his mother, or sold them to the town.
Read : A Fairy Tale of Pak Belalang
One day, when Malin Kundang was sailing as usual, he saw a merchant ship being raided by a small group of pirates. With his courage and strength, Malin Kundang managed to beat the pirates. The merchant was very happy and asked Malin Kundang to sail with him. Malin Kundang agreed.
Years later, Malin Kundang became a wealthy merchant, with a large ship, lots of merchandise, and lots of crew, and a beautiful wife. On his way, his ship landed on a beach. The villagers recognized him, and word spread fast in the town: “Malin Kundang became a rich man and now he is here!”. His mother, in deep sorrow after years alone, ran to the beach to be reunited with her beloved son.
When the mother came, Malin Kundang, in front of his well-dressed wife, his men and his own glory, refused to meet that old, poor and dirty woman. Three times she called Malin Kundang, finally Malin Kundang said to him,
“Enough, old woman! I never had a mother like you, a dirty and ugly farmer!” Then he ordered his men to set sail.
Full of anger, he cursed Malin Kundang so that he would turn to stone if he did not apologize. Malin Kundang just laughed and started sailing.
On a calm sea, suddenly a storm came. His big ship was destroyed, and it was too late for Malin Kundang to apologize. He was thrown by the waves from his ship, crashed on a small island, and suddenly turned to stone.
Another version:
This legendary story is said to have come from the Padang area, where the remains of Batu Malin Kundang are located.
Malin Kundang who came from a poor family. Just like other Minang men, he decided to travel to another place to try his luck, leaving his old mother behind. His life changed suddenly when he married the daughter of a rich man from Siam. Soon after achieving success and acquiring great wealth, he sailed home on his own ship to Padang with his wife and men.
Upon hearing of Malin Kundang's return, his mother rushed to the beach to meet her long lost son. Unfortunately, Malin Kundang felt ashamed to see his mother who was old and poor, while he was a rich man with nice clothes and a beautiful wife, while his mother looked as ragged and poor as she used to be.
Much to his dismay, he ignored his mother, refused to greet her and returned to his ship.
Humiliated and hurt by her son's arrogant behavior, his mother knelt down in despair and prayed to God asking that her son be punished for what he did. Soon a terrible storm arose and Malin Kundang's ship sank on the rocks. Realizing his guilt and sin for neglecting his mother, Malin Kundang who was seriously injured tried to go to the beach to ask forgiveness from his mother. But as he crawled on his hands and knees, he suddenly turned to stone.
Until now, the rock which, when viewed from a certain angle, resembles a kneeling male figure as if buried into a rock, and to this day can still be found in the Air Manis Beach area. It is said that from the event, it was as if Malin Kundang was forced to stay on the beach forever by turning into a stone, begging for forgiveness from his mother. Around the petrified figure, it appears that a kind of barrel and rope have been carved into the rock to represent a shipwreck that washed ashore. The story of the ungrateful son made Air Manis Beach a place of serenity and a legendary location to visit that may offer some lessons in life.
Read : The Legend of Sampuraga