New Sultan for Kedah
Caught up in the excitement of the impending installation of Sultan Sallehuddin, heads to the State Museum Library to learn more about the history and myths related to the Kedah Sultanate
Thestate-wideexcitementstartedbuildingup soon after the Istiadat Letak Kerja ceremony took place at the Balai Besar on Sept 19, 2018. This important function, steeped with tradition and custom of the Kedah Malaya Sultanate, was held to initiate the launch of a series of royal ceremonies leading up to the installation of Sultan Sallehuddin ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah.
The ceremony, involving a procession of spring water from all the 12 districts, Zam Zam water from the Holy Land, nine types of flowers and three trays of sintok bark, lime and incense, ended with the playing of the nobat and firing of a nine-gun salute by the Royal Malay Regiment.
In accordance to tradition, Sultan
While anxiously awaiting for Sultan Sallehuddin’s installation due to take place in the very near future, I decide to head over to the Kedah State Museum Library to refresh my memory on the previous ceremony that took place back in 1959.
Lady luck is on my side as I manage to get my hands on the original copy commemorating the installation of Sultan Abdul Halim. Hardly able to contain my exhilaration, I quickly head towards a quiet Sultan Abdul Halim in front of the Balai Besar on the day of his installation on Feb 20, 1959. corner to carefully peruse the contents.
Turning the pages of the booklet, which filled with historical facts and interesting myths, is like taking a walk back in time. Its contents give me a clear understanding of the Kedah Sultanate which has the oldest unbroken royal lineage in the world.
The first article mentions the State Regalia which prominently features the State Keris, said to have belonged to Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin, the 22nd Sultan of Kedah who ruled from 1803 to 1821 and 1842 to 1845. The 21-year interval occurred when Kedah was invaded by Siamese forces and Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin was forced to flee to Penang.
My heart skips a beat when the text further down the page mentions that the tengkolok, which is also part of the State Regalia, was the one made in 1904 for Tunku Ibrahim, the eldest son of Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah.
If my memory serves me right, this means that Tunku Ibrahim must have worn this same headdress when he and his four siblings, Tunku Zainal Rashid, Tunku Jam Jam, Tunku Rokiah and Tunku Jora, celebrated simultaneous nuptials with their respective spouses at the Balai Besar. Although it happened more than a century ago, that event remains, until today, the grandest royal wedding Kedah has ever seen.
The booklet’s next few pages provide a