Mahsuri bled white blood and with her dying breath, she laid a curse on Langkawi and its inhabitants for seven generations

The legendary story of Mahsuri is believed to have taken place during the reign of Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah III (1778-1797) and Sultan Ziyauddin Mukarram Shah II ibni al-Marhum Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Azilin Muadzam Shah (1797-1803).

Mahsuri binti Pandak Mayah was a young woman who lived during the late 18th century in Pulau Langkawi, an island in Kedah. She was charged with adultery and executed by stabbing, according to folklore. Her tomb, Makam Mahsuri, has become one of the island’s main tourist attractions today.

Legend has it that Mahsuri was the daughter of a Malay farmer who moved from their native Negeri Pulau Bukit to the island of Langkawi in search of a better life. She was Langkawi’s most beautiful woman. She later married a warrior named Wan Darus. Her husband had to go to war against Thailand on behalf of Kedah, thus leaving Mahsuri behind to fend for herself. It was during this period that a young travelling minstrel and poet named Deraman befriended Mahsuri. Wan Mahora, the village chief’s wife, was jealous of Mahsuri’s beauty and started a rumour that, in the absence of Wan Darus, Mahsuri was having an illicit affair with Deraman. The rumours gradually became strong enough that she was publicly accused of adultery by the villagers. Mahsuri pleaded her innocence, but no one believed her.

Mahsuri was meant to be bound and stabbed to death by a tree, but it did not work. Mahsuri pleaded to them to kill her with the ‘keris’ of her family after every execution attempt failed. White blood began streaming from the wound when she was stabbed, signifying her innocence. To protect her body, some birds flew over her. Mahsuri cursed Langkawi with her dying breath for having seven generations of bad luck.
Not long after Mahsuri’s execution, Siam invaded Langkawi. To starve the invading Siamese soldiers, Dato Karma Jaya ordered all the rice on the island be collected and burnt in Padang Mat Sirat. This proved to be a foolish move, for the residents soon died from starvation. Remnants of the burnt rice could still be seen in a cordoned area in Padang Mat Sirat, Kampung Raha.
Decades after Mahsuri’s death, Langkawi experienced a period of tribulation with the population dwindling in size. The island became a desolate place, beset by series of misfortunes. As for Mahsuri’s family, they left Langkawi and settled in Thailand.

Many Langkawi locals believe the legend to be true, citing the decades of failed crops that followed Mahsuri’s death. Thailand has also invaded Langkawi many times, with the last invasion taking place in 1821. The field that the farmers torched is now known as Beras Terbakar or “Burnt Rice”. It was only at the end of the 20th century that Langkawi started to flourish as a tourist destination after seven centuries had supposedly come to pass.