Hang Tuah Ke Kuil Hindu: Cultural Ecumenicalism in the Hikayat Hang Tuah
By Farish A. Noor ~ September 3rd, 2009. Filed under: TOM_Main.
Before it becomes a nasty habit and before people end up with the mistaken opinion that you can only visit a Hindu temple with a severed head of a cow in hand, let us re-visit the past of the Malays and look at how the Hikayat Hang Tuah provides us with an example of cultural ecumenicalism and cosmopolitanism of the highest variety.
Most of us have heard of the Hikayat Hang Tuah but have never read it in full. Indeed, what few of us realise is that there are several dozen versions of the Hikayat Hang Tuah and that till today scholars are discovering lost manuscripts that shed more light on this truly amazing text which in many ways encapsulates the Malay vision of the social and moral universe around them at the time.
Contrary to the shallow and narrow interpretation of Hang Tuah as a warrior in service of his King, the full version of the Hikayat presents Hang Tuah as a warrior-turned-diplomat who ends his life as a pacifist and mystic who renounces violence and the ways of war. Indeed, that is the true moral of the tale: that violence is not the solution to anything and that we are all creatures who live on this same earth with the same rights and human sensibility that is universal.
Hang Tuah’s own moral awakening comes after he is sent abroad to serve as the emissary of Melaka to India, Turkey, China and even as far as the Byzantine empire. But long before he becomes a globe-trotting man of the world, Hang Tuah’s first visit takes him to India, to visit the kingdom of the ‘Kelings’ (Kalinga) in South India.
The Hikayat Hang Tuah is rich with details about the wonders and riches of the Keling kingdom under the rule of Raja Kisna Rayan. Tuah notes, for instance, that the land of the Kelings is so rich that a single Keling merchant seems to possess more wealth then ten Malay kings. Tuah and his retinue are amazed by the commerce and welfare of the people of Bijaya Nagaram, and the effortless manner with which its King welcomes them into the fold of the court and the royal family.
In the course of their exchanges the Hindu ruler Kisna Rayan and his courtiers express their amazement for Tuah’s ability to converse in the Keling tongue, to which Tuah himself offers an interesting explanation that betrays his own open-minded ecumenicalism:
‘Mendengar sembah Laksamana dengan bahasa Nagaram itu, maka Kisna Rayan dan Bendahara Mangkubumi dan segala raja-raja dan menteri-menteri yang mengadap itu pun hairan terchengang-chengang, kerana melihat Laksamana tahu bahasa Nagaram itu. Maka Kisna Rayan juga gemar melihat laku Laksamana berkata-kata itu dengan bahasa Keling yang faseh lidah-nya dan manis muka-nya, dan dengan merdu suara-nya; patut ia berkata-kata itu.
Maka titah Kisna Rayan: “Hai Laksamana, Kau ini Peranakan apa?”
Maka sembah Laksamana, “Ya tuanku shah alam, patek ini peranakan Melayu, tapi patek dari kechil-kechil ke-Majapahit, maka patek berlajar mangaji bahasa Keling dari pada sa-orang Lebai; maka oleh itu patek mengerti sedikit bahasa Keling itu.”
Impressed by Tuah’s linguistic skills and open-minded character, the Keling ruler warms up to the Melakan ambassador immediately, taking Tuah as one of his own and treating him as a member of the royal household.
Clearly, Hang Tuah is seen as a friendly foreigner by the Kelings whose ruler welcomes him without reservation. Tuah in turn sees himself as an emissary in a familiar land, and the narrative emphasises time and again the linguistic and cultural similarities and continuities that bind both Melaka and South India together. In this part of the narrative, it is evident that the emphasis lies more on the continuity and shared sameness of the peoples and cultures of South and Southeast Asia.
As if to underscore Tuah’s cosmopolitan character even further, Tuah accepts the order of Raja Kisna Rayan to go to China, but begs to be allowed to stay a little longer in the Hindu kingdom, if only to visit the Hindu temples and to appreciate the architecture of the Kelings a little longer. Without, mind you, bearing a severed head of a cow in his hand, unlike some contemporary Malays today…
Though Hang Tuah was and is a fictional character, the portrayal of this universal man of Melaka as the universal human wanderer with an open mind speaks volumes about the cosmopolitan mindset and worldview of the Malays of the past. Hang Tuah was a hero because he was a universal human being who was admired by all, and who in turn admired all the cultures and peoples he visited. His open-minded worldview is emphasised time and again in the text through the allusions to his admiration for the Kelings, Hinduism and the culture of the South Indians (as well as Turks, Chinese and others). Today, as Malaysia plods along the path of an increasingly narrow form of sectarian race-based politics, this open-minded spirit of Hang Tuah needs to be revived more than ever. For what the Hikayat teaches us is that the love for humanity and a universalist spirit are the real qualities of heroes, and not bloodlust and anger.
September 4th, 2009 at 02:13
Why…..why…were the Malays then so open minded, till they can come out with a friction, that people of today stil dwell.
God save this nation before it rots with characters such as our Internal Minister and PEE MMM…., then we might not even have the time to write a obituary.
September 4th, 2009 at 02:33
i read history too. so should hisham read bout his grandad’s aspiration like so many of us did. dont la put brain into that cow head and deny everything
September 4th, 2009 at 08:59
Trust BN to expunge this from all archives from now on. Nearest place to find these texts will be the ‘little red dot’ just south of Johor.
September 4th, 2009 at 10:35
Hang Tuah was lucky then. He didn’t have Khir Toyo and Najib breathing down his neck.
September 4th, 2009 at 10:37
Kedahan63, Actually there is no reason for anyone to give up yet. These texts do exist, and one can find them easily- Just go to any Kinokuniya and you will find the Malay Classics section and you can get them there. I do hope more people will read these texts. In the meantime I am still looking for 13 different versions of Hikayat Hang Tuah that I am told exist in Sumatra!
September 4th, 2009 at 10:47
Dont understand. Why do u say he was a fictional character?
September 4th, 2009 at 10:55
This essay opens my mind. Thanks
September 4th, 2009 at 11:02
I too lived during Hang Tuah’s period and we were not the so called Malays now, we were more open, tolerant and explored other culture and religion wihout feeling threathen unlike these so called modern day Melayus.
September 4th, 2009 at 11:03
A laudable presentation. But, before writing about Indian history, you might want to verify your facts. If the details are from the text your are translating, the author of that text did not kn ow what he was taslking about.
The Kalinga period CONSIDERABLY predates the Malacca kingdom. It was based in Orissa. The Vijayanagar kingdom was more of a contemporary period.
September 4th, 2009 at 11:07
I salute you sir, Farish Noor. What an enlightening article. It reflects on your interlectuality. How I wish Malaysia is filled with Malays like you–epitome of a rational mind. And also a BIG THANK YOU for highlighting the word Kalinga–a Kingdom in South India–which the local non Indians used to refer the Indians as Keling–which sounds derogatory to the Indians in Malaysia. But now I am to be called a Keling because it refers to the people of a Kingdom.
Thank you sir
September 4th, 2009 at 12:15
Menon, you have to understand that the Hikayat Hang Tuah is not and should not be read as a historically accurate text. Terms and dates are confused in it throughout and place names as well, hence the inconsistencies. I dont read it for historical facts per se, but rather for a description of the world-view of the people then, and how their values have changed since. I thought that would be obvious to anyone: For heavens sake even Shakespear cant be read as a historical text, including his ‘historical’ plays.
September 4th, 2009 at 12:16
And also note that the Hikayat Hang Tuah was written long after the fall of Melaka and it was the work of several authors. There is no definitive version of it, but in this version (Kassim Ahmad’s edition, 1968) we have the complete story which includes his journey to India and other lands.
September 4th, 2009 at 13:06
Dear Sir,
You are grate and please write more of this kind of articals and hope that the extrem malays will red it to make them selves as a perfect humen been. Why only malays are making truble with other races and the others are not doing so. Why other races can tolarate and understand about malays and why they can’t. What is their worry actualy? can’t immagine they are so nerrow mindded and stupid. So please write more and more articals like this in malay vertion in all blogs for the to read and open their mind and leave in this world as a actual human that Islam want’s.
September 4th, 2009 at 13:27
Balasi, the answer to your ‘why’ is that Malay nowadays lost their identity, they are more Arabs first then Malay as their ancestors used to be, I still remember when my Mok Ngah married a Malay, when she came to my granny’s home she can still join us for makan (using the same utensils) but for sure not something that is non-halal as we know how to respect her too. I am NOT seeing this nowadays.
Sigh, Malaysia is heading back to Dark Age.
September 4th, 2009 at 13:53
Mr Farish Noor…… you a great man ,I feel so respect on you and your thinking is so positive and fare to everyone and I am so sure there is a lot of muslims is the same as your thinking , I am Indian but I feel proud of muslims because their a so special and so understanding about other religion,only the race-based politics make the muslim look ugly…….
I am proud to be Malaysian and I am proud to be with all my Muslims brothers and sisters,even I can’t live without them beside me.
The Hang Tuah is a legend and he only can be come a legend because of his positive thinking about the religion but now I have confident when see a person like you who dare to write the true for our Malaysian. Thank you brother.
September 4th, 2009 at 13:53
MALAYSIA TO PROGRESS, RACIALISM AND RELIGIOUS FANATISM SHOULD GO. EVEN PAS HAS MADE HEADWAY IN THIS RESPECT, SUPRISINGLY! UMNO - THEIR LEADERS, WAST MAJORITY OF THEM, PREACH ONE THING IN PUBLIC AND PRACTICE ANOTHER THING BEHIND THEIR BACK.
IT SEEMS AS THOUGH UMNO, FOR THEIR OWN INTEREST, WANTS TO MAKE THE MALAYS RICH ONLY, BUT MAKE THEM REMAIN IN THE WELL AS FROGS.
MORE ARTICLES TO LIBERATE THE MINDS OF THE MALAYS (WHO ARE REALLY GOOD AND HUMBLE IN CHARACTER) SHOULD APPEAR IN MALAY NEWS PAPERS. MAMAKS LIKE ZAINUDDIN MAIDIN ARE TRYING TO BE MORE MALAY, THEN THE REAL MALAYS THEMSELVES, AS THOUGH THEY ARE PROTECTORS OF THE MALAY RACE.
REGARDS.
September 4th, 2009 at 16:22
Bravo, Saudara Faris, you have given some knowlegde of actual history and litreture of Malay. But sad to say most of these facts have been erase or fading from current history books. I appreciate if you could continue write more on our legendary heros and their services that have build up the ancient history so that i can preserve this for my children.
September 4th, 2009 at 16:41
Your comments noted.
Yes, I do “understand that the Hikayat Hang Tuah is not and should not be read as a historically accurate text” - you said as much in your articles. And as I HAD pointed out, its author was not fully aware of the historial context. I accept that.
My point, however, is this. Since you are the new narrator of this historial work, it would have served a greater purpose if you had clarified the disparity in dates and identities of the Indian civilisations mentioned in the original work.
It would also have helped open the eyes and minds of many young people reading it.
Most people who did their schooling in Malaysia over the past twenty or so years have no idea AT ALL of Malaya’s cultural ancestry and heritage. All this has been expunged (sanitised) from school history textbooks to present an entirely ethnocentric view of Malaysian history which, apparently, only began with the advent of Islam!
The authors of such text books, more historical fiction than history, cannot, by any stretch of one’s imagination be equated with Shakespeare.
September 4th, 2009 at 18:06
Dear Farish,
how abt the instances when the Kelings who came to M’cca and embraced the laws of the land and readily accept the Malay culture?
care to highlight them? or does it not streamlined with your agenda of trying to highlight how the Malays of old were more open-minded than the current ones? perhaps you may want to highlight how the Kelings of old were more flexible and not hardheaded and can assimilate well with the Malays in M’cca back then than the current ones now?
Looking forward to your next article.
September 4th, 2009 at 20:58
Dear Dr.
To avoid uncertain, in version this Hikayat as regard and quote in your text, it’s indeed important for me to know the author or any details which can help me to look closer to the original text.
TQ
September 4th, 2009 at 23:15
Straight Talk, for that you have to wait for my book on the history of Indian migration to the Malay archipelago ya.
September 5th, 2009 at 00:45
Good explanation bro Faris Noor,
But i have a dought. During my school time i take Sastera Melayu and one of the book we must reasd is Hikayat Hang Tuah.
But according to my sastera teacher Hang Tuah is not a Malay man. He said Hang Tuah originated from Bentan Sumatera. And that he was born for a Indian Mamak Muslim parents.
That means Hang Tuah is Not Malay but Indian Mamak muslim Sumatera.
Even the Bendahara Melaka like Tun Perak , Tun Ali are also said to be Indian Mamak muslims.
September 5th, 2009 at 03:29
Dear sir for a better understanding of the historical, fictional narration in Hikayat Hang Tuah, you need to bring in the factual narrations from Sejarah Melayu as well as Sejarah Alam Melayu and Sejarah samudra Pasai into the picture. No matter who they were, our ancestors is in the history of our own civilization. Touching on the Kingdom of kalingga, we got to speak about The Great warrior, Shola Raja ( Raja Chulan) and the Kingdom of Mataram and so on. So please help our youngs to get to know the facts down beneath the layers of our historical path.
September 6th, 2009 at 22:24
Hi Straight Talk,
What you trying to prove? There are some nice Malays around.. And I’m really happy about it. Unfortunately as much as these nice malays, there is also bad malays..
September 6th, 2009 at 23:53
Hang Tuah could be a Hindu or Chinese? Or, Hang Tuah is just a legend? Even the Portuguese who conquered Malacca can’t confirmed the existence of Hang Tuah?
September 7th, 2009 at 08:10
There is a Jalan Hang Tuah in Jakarta. When asked why, an Indonesian friend said that Hang Tuah was an Indonesian warrior in Sumatera. Then there is now a group of historians who are trying to prove that Hang Tuah served in Thailand as Tun Narai and ended up being Sultan Iskandar Muda in Pasai, Acheh. There are aspects of our history that we do not comprehend, especially the “cosmopolitanness” of the Malakan generations. There were no physical borders then. Kingdoms existed around the kings. And we can only wonder what the contents of a shipload of Malay books and manuscripts that got burnt on their way to London.
September 7th, 2009 at 12:41
I apologize if I missed the noticed anywhere else on the website, but is there any ETA on this book? I’m fairly curious on such events…..
September 10th, 2009 at 15:33
refering to kjan posting.. Hang Tuah might be Chinese. You see, his real name might be Hang Too Ah and his friends… Hang Lee Kiew (Hang Lekiu), Hang Lee Keh (Hang Lekir), Hang Chew Wat (Hang Jebat)… Heard this somewhere in kampung when I was living with my grandmother was 10 then and year 1974. I think they are brothers or related to each other. If the surname Hang could stir confusion since there might be no Chinese with that kind of surname, I think they are from the Ng family laaa…..
September 10th, 2009 at 19:56
To Muzz,
Could the Hang bit a nod to their Han Chinese ancestry? I heard that out of the four, Hang Kasturi was the one who had ‘gone native’ big time. His real name was Hang Li Mau.
(Joke! Sorry mederator.)
November 9th, 2009 at 22:20
At 50, I sit back and watch all the evil that unfolds before me. One thing is for sure, we have buried ourselves so deep in shait that only a national crisis the likes of May 13th will start the road to recovery and change.
And frankly, thats exactly where we are headed aren’t we. You don’t have to be a genius to see that coming. But then most of us would probably console ourselves and sit back and say “nahhh,” “can never happen that…not in this time and age.”
Think again…………….
Shalome