Parameswara

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Parameswara (aka Iskandar Shah)
1st Ruler of Malacca
An artist's impression of Parameswara, who ruled Singapore in the 1390s.
Reign	Malacca Sultanate: c. 1400-1414
Titles	Prince of Srivijaya, Raja of Temasek
Born	1344
Birthplace	Palembang, Sumatra
Died	1414 (aged 69 or 70?)
Place of death	Malacca, Sultanate of Malacca
Buried	Disputed
Predecessor	Paduka Seri Rana Wira Kerma, Raja of Temasek
Successor	Megat Iskandar Shah (Sultan of Malacca)
Offspring	Megat Iskandar Shah (Sultan of Malacca)
Royal House	Srivijaya
Father	Paduka Seri Rana Wira Kerma, Raja of Temasek

Parameswara (1344 – 1414) (also called Iskandar Shah) was a Malay-Hindu prince from Temasek who founded the Malacca Sultanate around 1402.

Etymology

Parameswaran (பரமேஸ்வரன்) is a Tamil word which derived from Sanskrit Paramesvara (परमेश्वर), which comes from Parama i.e supreme and Iswara, meaning Lord, and is another name for Lord Shiva.

Life

• 1344 - Born as Dharmaraja (Desia Raja), a prince of Paduka Sri Rana Wira Kerma, Raja of Singapura (1386 - 1399). His mother was a daughter of Tun Perpatih Permuka Berjayar, Bendahara of Singapura^[1].
• 1399 - Succeeded his father and officially styled as Paduka Sri Maharaja Parameswara, Raja of Singapura.
• 1401 - Expelled from Singapura
• 1402 - Founded Malacca
• 1405 - Visited the Ming Emperor
• 1409 - Married Pasai's princess, Sultanate of Malacca founded.
• 1411 - Visited the Ming Emperor
• 1414 - Died at the age of 69 or 70.

Discovered Malacca

In the 14th century, Srivijaya was losing its influence and faced threats from various corners of the Malay Archipelago. Around the same time, the Majapahit empire, centered in Java, was expanding its borders beyond Java island. The Srivijayan empire had previously controlled parts of Java but it was driven out of in 1290 by the increasingly powerful Singhasari, a predecessor to Majapahit. Singhasari later attacked the Sriwijaya palace in the Malayu. As a result, Srivijaya had to move its court from Palembang, on the bank of Musi River in southern Sumatra, to Malayu (now Jambi province) on Batang Hari River bank. Although the royal court had moved to Malayu, Palembang remained an important imperial city. Some time in the later half of the 14th century, Majapahit sent its navy towards Palembang and Malayu, thus conquering the city. This invasion ended the 1000-year old empire.

According to the Malay Annals, after the sack of Palembang, the descendants of Srivijaya ruling house took refuge to the island of Bintan. Although the empire have been destroyed and its capital sacked, Malay and Orang Laut population inhabiting the surrounding islands and Malay peninsular remained loyal to the Srivijayan royalties. In 1324, a Srivijayan prince, Sang Nila Utama removed himself from Bintan to Temasek where he defeated and killed the Ayuthaya-appointed local ruler, Temagi.

Sang Nila Utama later founded Singapura Lama: Old Lion Island. He maintained control over the island for 48 years and recognized as ruler by an envoy of the Chinese Emperor in 1366. He was officially styled Sri Maharaja Sang Utama Parameswara Batara Sri Tri Buana (meaning: "Lord Central King Batara of "Sri Tri Buana" 'Three world Realm'" signifying Lordship over Palembang, Bintan and Singapura).

Sang Nila Utama was succeeded by son Paduka Sri Pekerma Wira Diraja (1372 – 1386) who was succeeded in turn by grandson, Paduka Seri Rana Wira Kerma (1386 – 1399).

In 1401, his great grandson, Paduka Sri Maharaja Parameswara fled from Singapura after a Kertanegara retaliatory invasion^[2].

This younger Parameswara fled north to found a new settlement. At Muar, Parameswara contemplated establishing his new kingdom at either Biawak Busuk or at Kota Buruk. Finding that the Muar location was not suitable, he continued northwards. Along the way, he reportedly visited Sening Ujong (former name of present day Sungai Ujong) before reaching a fishing village at the mouth of the Bertam River (former name of the Malacca River). This evolved over time to become the location of modern day Malacca Town. According to the Malay Annals, it was here that he witnessed a small white mouse deer outwitting a chihuahua while resting under an Indian gooseberry tree. He took this as a good omen and decided there to establish a kingdom called Malacca, building and improving facilities for the purpose of trade. More credible accounts argue the name "Malacca" was a local folk-adaptation of the Arabic word 'mulaqa' meaning 'meeting place': which the port of Malacca indeed was.

The Sultanate of Malacca ultimately succeeded the Srivijaya Empire to be the next most important Malay political entity of the archipelago.^[3][4]

Marriage

It was generally believed that in the year 1409 he married princess of Pasai and he adopted the Persian title 【Iskandar Shah 】.^[5] The marriage was believed to have been introduced by the Tamil Muslim traders like Rowther and Marakkar.^{[citation needed]}

Conversion to Islam

Parameswara's conversion to Islam was unclear so far with no evidence as to whether Parameswara had actually converted. According to a theory by Sabri Zain [1], Parameswara became a Muslim when he married a Princesss of Pasai and he took the fashionable Persian title "Shah", calling himself Iskandar Shah. Parameswara was originally a Hindu, but according to Sabri Zain, he did convert for the marriage and title.

There are also references that indicate that some members of the ruling class and the merchant community residing in Malacca were already Muslims. The Chinese chronicles mention that in 1414, the son of the first ruler of Malacca visited Ming to inform them that his father had died. Parameswara's son was then officially recognised as the second ruler of Malacca by the Chinese Emperor and styled Raja Sri Rama Vikrama, Raja of Parameswara of Temasik and Melaka and he was known to his Muslim subjects as 【Sultan Sri Iskandar Zulkarnain Shah】 or 【Sultan Megat Iskandar Shah】, and he ruled Malacca from 1414 to 1424. [2] [3]

Death

In 1414, Parameswara died at age 70. It is generally believed that he was buried on top of a hill at Tanjung Tuan (also known as Cape Rachado), near Port Dickson. A symbolic grave exists near Fort Canning in Singapore. Parameswara was succeeded by his son, Megat Iskandar Shah who in turn ruled Malacca until 1424.

Successor

The Malays refer to the third ruler of Malacca as Raja Tengah (or Radin Tengah) with the title Seri Maharaja but according to the Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals), he then embraced Islam and took the title Muhammad Shah. Scholars believe it could have been due to him marrying a Tamil Muslim wife. On his death, he was succeeded by the son of a princess coming from Rokan: Raja Ibrahim.

Hindu-Malay and Tamil-Muslim conflict

During the time of Raja Ibrahim, tension occurred in Melaka between the growing Tamil Muslim community and the traditional Hindu Malay because Raja Ibrahim did not embraced the new religion but instead adopted the traditional Hindu title Sri Parameswara Dewa Shah. As a result, Raja Ibrahim ruled for less than seventeen months and he was stabbed to death.

Raja Ibrahim's elder half-brother, Raja Kasim, by a Tamil Muslim mother, assumed the throne and taking on the Islamic title Sultan Mudzafar Shah. This signalled a new golden era for the Melaka Sultanate. [4]

Foreign relations and tribute to Ming Dynasty

The relation with Ming China started in the early 1400s [5] when Parameswara embarked on several voyages to visit Emperor Yongle (Chinese: 永樂)(Wade-Giles name is Yung-Lo). He was escorted by Zheng He, Yin Qing (Wade-Giles names are Cheng Ho and Ying Ching) and other envoys in his successful visits. Malacca's relationships with Ming granted protection to Malacca against attacks from Siam and Majapahit and Malacca officially submitted as a protectorate of Ming China. This encouraged the development of Malacca into a major trade settlement on the trade route between China and India, Middle East, Africa and Europe.

Part of original copy of Ming Dynasty history (1368-1644) - chapter 325. Parameswara visits emperor Yongle.

In 1411, Parameswara and his wife together with 540 officials from Malacca went to China to pay homage to the Yongle Emperor (r. 1402–1424). Upon arriving, a grand welcoming ceremony was held with sacrification of animals. The historical meeting between Parameswara and Yongle was recorded accurately in the Ming chronicle. The Geoff Wade translations: [6]

Tributes that Malacca paid to Ming included: agate, carnelian, pearl, hawksbill, coral, crane beak, golden female crane beak, suit, white cloth, Western fabric, Sa-ha-la, rhino horn, ivory, black bear, black ape, white muntjac, turkey, parrot, pian-nao, rosebush dew, su-he oil, gardenia flower, wu-ye-ni, aromatic wood, incense sticks, gold silver incense sticks.

Parameswara's trading port

Map of 1400s Melacca.

Indonesian religious leader and Islamic scholar Hamka (1908–1981) wrote in 1961: "The development of Islam in Indonesia and Malaya is intimately related to a Chinese Muslim, Admiral Zheng He."^[6] (see: Zheng He#Zheng He and Islam in Southeast Asia)

Melaka grew into an international trading port and heralded the golden age of Nusantara Islam. 80 languages were reportedly spoken in Malacca:Tamil (Tamil Nadu ) Moors of Cairo, Mecca, Aden, Abyssinians, men of Kilwa, Malindi, Ormuz, Parsees, Rumes, Turks, Turkomans, Christian Armenians, Gujarati, men of Chaul, Dabhol, Goa, of the kingdom of Deccan, Malabars and Klings, merchants from Orissa, Ceylon, Bengal, Arakan, Pegu, Siamese, men of Kedah, Malays, men of Pahang, Patani, Cambodia, Champa, Cochin China, Chinese, Lequeos, men of Brunei, Lucoes, men of Tamjompura, Laue, Banka, Linga (they have a thousand other islands), Moluccas, Banda, Bima, Timor, Madura, Java, Sunda, Palembang, Jambi, Tongkal, Indragiri, Kappatta, Minangkabau, Siak, Arqua (Arcat?), Aru, Bata, country of the Tomjano, Pase (Pasai?), Pedir, Maldives.

Malacca became an important port in the far east during the 16th century. It became so rich that the Portuguese writer and trader Tome Pires said "Whoever is lord of Malacca shall have his hands on the throat of Venice.".citation needed

Post-Parameswara

Parameswara's Sultanate of Malacca (as a prosperous international port) changed the entire Malay Archipelago. Its success was admired by kings from neighbouring kingdoms. Melaka's dominance in the region also influenced the spread of Islam in the Malay Archipelago. In 1447, Kertawijaya became King of Majapahit and converted to Islam on the advice of his wife, Darawati, a princess of Champa. The nephew of Kertawijaya, Sunan Ampel works to spread Islam around Surabaya, and around the same time, Palembang converted to Islam. In 1459, Sultan Mansur Shah of Malacca sent Tun Perak to conquer Kedah and Pahang. Pahang became an Islamic sultanate under Malacca. In 1470, Dai-Viet captured Vijaya, the capital of Champa, killing 60,000 Cham and caused a mass Cham emigration to Malacca and Cambodia. The Islamic Kingdom of Demak was founded in 1478 by Raden Patah, son of King Kertawijaya and his Champa wife. An Islamic Sultanate was founded at Cirebon in Sunda too.

Sources

1. Sejarah Melayu a Malay literature written by Tun Sri Lanang in 1621. (see Sang Nila Utama)
2. Suma Oriental written by Portuguese Tom Pires during the conquering of Melaka in early 16th century.
3. The Ming Shi-lu [7] (Chinese: 明實錄) also known as the Veritable Records of the Ming Dynasty, has a comprehensive 150 records or more on Parameswara (Bai-li-mi-su-la) and Melaka. The massive translation work was contributed by Dr.Geoff Wade, a senior researcher in the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. [8]

Ming Shi-lu:

• (Date: 28 Oct 1403) -- eunuch Yin Qing was sent to Melaka [9]
• (Date: 3 Oct 1405) -- Bai-li-mi-su-la, the native ruler of the country of Melaka followed the Imperial envoy Yin Qing and visit the Ming court to offer tribute. [10]
• (Date: 16 Feb 1409) -- envoy A-bu-la Jia-xin sent by Bai-li-mi-su-la visit Ming court and offered tribute of local products...[11]
• (Date: 4 Aug 1411) -- Bai-li-mi-su-la, on banquet in reward him on visit to Ming court. [12]
• (Date: 14 Aug 1411) -- Bai-li-mi-su-la, and his wife, children and attendant ministers, a total of over 540 persons, visit Ming Court. [13]
• (Date: 17 Aug 1411) -- banquet was conferred upon Bai-li-mi-su-la and his consort Ba-er-mi-su-li and others in the Interpreters Institute. [14]
• (Date: 5 Oct 1414) -- son of the king of the country of Melaka, Mu-wo Sa-yu-di-er Sha visit Ming court and memorialized that his father Bai-li-mi-su-la had died. And the Imperially commanded that Mu-wo Sa-yu-di-er Sha should inherit his father's title as king. [15]

Unsourced information

Coming from the unpublished Palembang royal records, Parameswara (1344 – 1414) whose full title was Paduka Sri Maharaja, Raja Parameswara of Temasik. He was called Desa Raja at birth and was the son of Paduka Sri Maharaja Vikramavira, Raja of Temasik. He was officially styled Raja Kecil Besar Paduka Sri Pekerma Di Raja and was a Hindu Malay prince-consort whose family originally hailed from the Palembang district of Srivijaya Empire. Parameswara supposedly formally settled on a hill in the Malacca town area around 1402.

The early rulers of Melaka always bestowed the title of Raja Parameswara of Temasik on their eldest sons who usually went on to become the Raja Parameswara (later Sultans) of Melaka.^{[specify][citation needed]}

Controvesy

The historical Malay literary work Sejarah Melayu written 5 centuries ago has sparked controversy by claiming that Parameswara was a descendant of Raja Iskandar Dhul-Qarnayn (Iskandar of the two horns).

The story of Dhul-Qarnayn can be found in the Muslim's holy book of Qur'an. Dhul-Qarnayn appears in sixteen verses of the Qur'an, specifically in verses 18:83-98.

The real identity of Dhul-Qarnayn has become a matter of great controversy in modern times. Most western scholars held the belief that Dhul-Qarnayn was the Macedonian King, Alexander the Great (336–323 BC). However, the prominent contemporary theory reveals that the Dhul-Qarnayn mentioned in the Qur'an was none other than Cyrus the Great of Achaemenid Persia(559-530 BC).

See also

• Strait of Malacca
• Orang Laut
• Moken
• Hang Tuah

References

Other references

• The Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Languages & Literature, edited by Prof. Dato' Dr Asmah Haji Omar (2004) ISBN 981-3018-52-6

External links

• The history of spices is the history of trade
• Parameswara at Sejarah Melayu
• Malacca Genealogy by Christopher Buyers
• Beyond the Monsoon
• Genealogy of Malacca Sultanate
• The Travels Of Marco Polo
• The Golden Chersonese and The Way Thither - by Isabella L. Bird
• Parameswara at National Library of Malaysia
• Article by Muzaffar Tate in Star Online 1999