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The chronicles of Pasai

From Munshipedia, the MBRAS digital historical encyclopedia

The chronicles of Pasai

R.O. Winstedt’s 1938 article in the Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society examines the Hikayat Raja-Raja Pasai, the oldest surviving Malay chronicle, arguing that it was composed in the fifteenth century and served as a direct literary model for the Sejarah Melayu. Winstedt, writing as both colonial administrator and scholar, uses the text to illuminate the early Islamic conversion of the Malay world and the deep Indian cultural influence on the court of Pasai.

Summary

Winstedt’s central task is to establish the date of composition of the Hikayat Pasai and to demonstrate its relationship to the Sejarah Melayu. He argues that the chronicle must postdate 1350, since it narrates Majapahit’s conquest of Pasai around that year, and that it must predate 1536, the completion date of the first draft of the Sejarah Melayu, which quotes it verbatim in chapters 7 and 9. He further narrows the window by noting that it is improbable any author would compose a history of Pasai after its annexation by Aceh in 1524, and that the text was likely already in Malacca before d’Albuquerque’s capture of the city in 1511. His conclusion is that the chronicle was “most probably” written in the fifteenth century (p. 25).

The article then traces the specific literary influence of the Hikayat Pasai on the Sejarah Melayu and later Malay histories, identifying six recurring motifs: the ascription of romance episodes to historical personages, parallel foundation folk-tales (the dog-and-mouse-deer episode), long ethical exhortations from dying rulers, the downfall of a handsome warrior suspected of treachery, the dishevelled waiting-maid scene, and mythical accounts of a court’s conversion to Islam (p. 26). Winstedt also highlights the text’s value for understanding Indian cultural penetration at Pasai, pointing to ministerial names common in Delhi, a South Indian miner who discovers gold, a South Indian yogi who bestows a royal title, and a South Indian ship bringing four pendikar (p. 26).

The bulk of the article is devoted to a narrative summary of the chronicle itself, which Winstedt presents as a continuous account from the founding of Semudra by Merah Silu through the conversion of Sultan Malik al-Saleh, the succession of his heirs, the internal dynastic conflicts, and the final Majapahit conquest. The summary preserves the chronicle’s blend of historical incident and mythic embellishment, including the Bamboo Princess episode, the miraculous dream-conversion of Merah Silu, and the tragic death of Tun ‘Abdu’l-Jalil (pp. 26–29).

Key Findings

  • The sole known manuscript was copied on 2 January 1814 (21 Muharram, 1230 A.H.), with lists of place-names appended after the colophon (p. 24).
  • The chronicle’s narrative spans from the death of Malik al-Saleh in 1297 (per his gravestone imported from Cambay) to Majapahit’s conquest of Pasai c. 1350 (p. 24).
  • Verbatim quotations from the Hikayat Pasai appear in chapters 7 and 9 of the Sejarah Melayu, confirming direct textual dependence (p. 24).
  • The chronicle records a Siamese tribute expedition repelled by Pasai forces under Barang Laksamana, Tun Rawan Pematang, and Tun Aria Jong (p. 28).
  • The Majapahit conquest is commemorated in the toponym “Field of the Bent Tree” (medan pokok pauh), where enemy lances bent a tree on the parade-ground (p. 29).
  • The chronicle records that Sultan Malik al-Saleh sent a gift of amber, camphor, eagle-wood, cloves, and nutmegs totalling 100 bahara in weight to the Khalifah Sharif at Mecca (p. 28).

Conclusion

Winstedt’s definitive takeaway is that the Hikayat Pasai occupies a unique position as the earliest Malay chronicle and the direct literary ancestor of the Sejarah Melayu, and that its composition in the fifteenth century makes it an invaluable witness to the formative period of Malay Islamisation and to the substantial Indian cultural presence at the Pasai court.

Context

  • Winstedt held the position of Director of Education in the Straits Settlements and was a prominent colonial-era scholar; his article reflects the administrative-intellectual culture of the 1930s Straits Settlements, in which colonial officials routinely produced scholarly work on Malay historical sources.
  • The primary sources consulted include the Raffles MS. No. 67 (Royal Asiatic Society, London), Dulaurier’s 1849 Arabic-script edition, Mead’s 1914 romanisation, and Shellabear’s edition of the Sejarah Melayu.

References