Was Johore once named Langkasuka?
This is the concluding page (p. 253) of R. O. Winstedt’s article on the Hikayat Sultan Ibrahim, published in JMBRAS Vol. 1, No. 1 (87), April 1923. The page header identifies the article as “Winstedt: Hikayat Sultan Ibrahim,” while the title “Was Johore once named Langkasuka?” appears as a separate item on the same page.
Summary
The text provided is the final paragraph of Winstedt’s article on the Hikayat Sultan Ibrahim. It discusses the composite religious influences behind the Sufi legend of Ibrahim the hunter prince of Balkh who turns ascetic, identifying Zoroastrian, Sabian (Mandaean), and Buddhist elements, and noting that the legend is modelled upon the story of Buddha (citing J.R.A.S., 1904, p. 132 seqq.). Winstedt then draws parallels in Malay literature, citing the story of Sultan Adam in the Hikayat Bayan Budiman (Tale XXIII) and a historical instance in the Sejarah Melayu (Ch. 7) and Hikayat Pasai (Dulaurier p. 20), suggesting that all such cases of princes abandoning thrones for religion are Islamic adaptations of the life of Buddha (p. 253).