The Pahang Sultanate

1. The History

The Pahang Sultanate, formerly Negeri Pahang (Pahang State), had existed since the Neolithic period. Its existence is proven by prehistoric artifacts found by archeologists in several places such as caves, mounts, sites nearby rivers, and mining lands. Among others, the artifacts are stones, earthenware, bronze, glazed porcelain, and iron made by prehistoric population. Besides, in the sites, there are Mount Senyum, Mount Tongkat, Mount Kecil, Mount Cintamani, Mount Bama, Mount Kota Gelanggi, and the Tebeling River.

Not only have physical artifacts proved the Pahang`s existence, but also other things such as records written by foreign wanderers who came across the Pahang State. The records of Chau Jou-kua (1225 A.D), Fei Shin (1436 A.D), and Prapanca in his book Nagarakertagama (1365 A.D) are the examples. Those records mention Pahang as a state.

Around 1470 A.D is believed to be the time of the Pahang Sultanate establishment. The presence of Khmer people, who had significant influence in the region, preceded the history of the Sultanate. Some historians relate it to the coming of the Sukhotai people of Thailand, who had ever made Ligor Kingdom in South Thailand under their rule. The Sukhotai, after gaining much power, expanded its territories to the Malay Peninsula and almost dominated half of it namely Pahang, Perak, Trengganu, Kelantan, Kedah, and Perlis. They mandated Maharaja Dewa Sura, one of Siam Kingdom`s wazir (minister) in Pahang, to take control over the Pahang State and rule whole administration. However, the Sultan of Malacca, Mansur Shah seized successfully the Pahang from the hand of Maharaja Dewa Sura and later on.

Left kingless after the death of Maharaja, Pahang experienced unstable political situation with no top leader and governmental system. Afraid of worsening situation, Mansur Shah commanded Seri Bija Diraja to serve as his representative in the Pahang State. Following the end of Diraja`s tenure, Mansur Shah was confused about the next ruler. He had ever considered one of his sons, Raja Ahmad and Raja Muhammad, to take the position. However, since both were famous for their bad conduct, as they murdered a son of Bendahara Besar (treasurer) in a folk game, Mansur Shah abandoned his plan and preferred other instead of his sons.

However, it seemed that Sultan Mansur Shah had no other confidants, then, he commanded Raja Muhammad to succeed him as the next Sultan. He believed that the appointment was the right decision for all of both his people and family. Raja Muhammad, in fact, was a foster child of Sultan Mansur Shah, a son of Maharaja Dewa Sura. Since the coronation, he was recorded as the first Sultan of Pahang. This moment also marked the historical shift of Pahang administration system from State to Sultanate.

The name of “Pahang” Sultanate, well known as Pahang Darul Makmur Sultanate, can be tracked in several writings. Chinese wrote “Pahang” in several versions: Pang-Hang, Peng-Heng, Pag-Heng, Pong-Fong, Phe-Hang, Pang-Kang, and other words. In 1225 A.D, Chao-Ju-Kua wrote a book, Chu-Fan-Chi, which mentioned several shadowland of San-Fo-Chi included Peng-keng, which later on known as Pahang. The European and Arabian had several names for Pahang as well. They called it Pam, Pan, Phang, Paam, Pao, Paon, Phaan, Paham, Fanhan, Phang, and Pahagh.

A different reference contends that the word “Pahang” originally comes from Siam Language, meaning tin. A story narrates that Siam people had ever been in a place rich of tin, especially in the area of the Tembeling River. The name of Pahang Darul Makmur was told by the ancient Malayans who recounted that a Kayu Mahang tree grew in around the Pahang River. The tree was brought from Pahang Darul Makmur. Then, Pahang was known as Pahang Darul Makmur. Going back in earlier time, it will be found that this Sultanate used Pahang Inderapura as its name.

2. The Kings of the Kingdom

The Sultans of Pahang Sultanate are as follow:

Maharaja Dewa Sura (before 1470 A.D.)
Sultan Muhammad Shah or the first Sultan of Pahang the first (1470-1475 A.D.)
Sultan Ahmad or the second Sultan of Pahang (1475-1497 A.D.)
Sultan Abdul Jamil or Sultan of Pahang the third (1511-1512 A.D.)
Sultan Mansor Shah the first or the fourth Sultan of Pahang (1497-1515 A.D.)
Sultan Mahmud or the fifth Sultan of Pahang the fifth (1515-1530 A.D.)
Sultan Muzaffar or the sixth Sultan of Pahang (1530-1540 A.D.)
Sultan Zainal Abidin or the seventh Sultan of Pahang (1540-1555 A.D.)
The second Sultan Mansor Shah or the eighth Sultan of Pahang (1555-1560 A.D.)
Sultan Abdul Jamal or the ninth Sultan of Pahang (unknown)
Sultan Abdul Kadir Alauddin Shah or the tenth Sultan of Pahang (...-1590 A.D.)
Raja Ahmad or the eleventh Sultan of Pahang (1590-1592 A.D.)
Sultan Abdul Ghafur Mohaidin Shah or the twelfth Sultan of Pahang (1592-1614 A.D.)

3. The Kingdom Period

Sultan Muhammad Shah or Sultan of Pahang the first had ruled the Pahang Sultanate for five years from 1470 to 1475 A.D. After his death, he was dubbed the Marhum Langgar. During his period, some polemics occurred particularly when his brother, Raja Ahmad, rejected the appointment of Raja Hussain, their stepbrother, as the Sultan of Malacca. For that reason, Raja Ahmad opted to leave Pahang and fled to Hulu Pahang (literally means Upper side of Pahang)

Longer than his brother`s period, Raja Ahmad took the very top position of Pahang for 22 years beginning from 1475 A.D to 1497 A.D. Following his death, he was dubbed the title Marhum Sheikh. After Raja Ahmad`s period, there was a dissent of appointing the Sultan. In 1497 A.D., Sultan Mansor Shah the first, the little brother of Sultan Abdul Jamil, became the ruler of the sultanate. However, he was not recorded as the third Sultan of Pahang. It was so since he was only considered as “ad interim Sultan” In 1511 A.D., the authority of the Pahang Sultanate went officially to Sultan Abdul Jamil. He was appointed as the third Sultan of the Pahang Sultanate. He had been ever engaged with Tun Teja. By 1512 A.D, he resigned from the position of Sultan because of his dissatisfaction to the then system, and he left the district for Lubuk Pelang. After his death, he was dubbed the Marhum Ziarat.

Sultan Mansor Shah the first succeeded the position of his big brother in 1512 A.D. According to some historical records, he was appointed as the fourth Sultan Pahang ever since. He ruled the sultanate until 1515 A.D. As mentioned above, since 1497 A.D., he had ever ruled the Pahang Sultanate before his brother, Sultan Abdul Jamil, took the authority of the sultanate. Unfortunately, there was no enough data providing such argument. Sultan Mansor Shah the first passed away in 1515 A.D., after had been murdered by unknown people for the affairs with the widow of his father, Sultan Ahmad.

Sultan Mahmud succeeded the first Sultan Mansor Shah to become the fifth Sultan of Pahang (1515-1530 A.D.). According to historical records, in 1522 A.D., he killed two captains and 80 soldiers of Alfonso de Albuquerque who came to the Pahang Sultanate. Still in his period, the Pahang Sultanate had collaborated with the Bentan Sultanate to attack the Portuguese soldiers in the Muar River. In 1526 A.D., Sultan Mahmud sent his 2000 soldiers for helping the Bentan Sultanate that was being attacked by the soldiers of Mascarenhas. After passing away in 1530 A.D., Sultan Mahmud was dubbed the title Marhum Di Hilir.

Sultan Muzaffar succeeded Sultan Mahmud as the sixth Sultan of Pahang in 1530 A.D. He passed away in 1540 A.D., after had been killed by Khoja Zainal, the Brunei Darussalam`s envoy for the Pahang Sultanate. According to the written records, Sultan Muzaffar was killed because of his affairs with Khoja Zainal`s wife. After his death, Sultan Muzaffar was dubbed the title Marhum Tengah.

In 1540 A.D., Sultan Zainal Abidin replaced the position of Sultan Muzaffar as the seventh Sultan of Pahang. His bravery was evident when he sent soldiers to help the Johor and Perak Sultanates when both besieged the Malacca Sultanate in 1550 A.D. After his death in 1555 A.D., he had been inaugurated as Marhum Di Bukit.

Sultan Mansor the second succeeded the position of Sultan Zanal Abidin as the eighth Sultan of Pahang (1555-1560 A.D.). After his death, he had been inaugurated as Marhum Syahid. His successor was his little brother, Sultan Abdul Jamal as the ninth Sultan of Pahang. No written records telling when he ruled the sultanate. When he passed away. There had been rumor amongst people that he had been killed by unknown people with absurd reasons.

Sultan Abdul Kadir Alauddin Shah afterward became the tenth Sultan of Pahang. Unfortunately, no sufficient information telling his period. After he passed away in 1590 A.D., his position had been replaced by Raja Ahmad as the XI Sultan of Pahang who ruled the sultanate until 1592 A.D.

In 1592 A.D., Sultan Abdul Ghafur Mohaidin Shah appointed as the XII Sultan of Pahang. He was well-known as the first sultan who stipulated the Pahang`s canons (Hukum Kanun Pahang). In 1612 A.D., he went to Brunei Darussalam, and then got married with the princess of Patani, the daughter of the king of Brunei. He did not stay long time in the country. In 1613 A.D., he returned to the Pahang Sultanate since his country was in many troubles such as poverty, drought, and conflicts amongst citizens. He passed away in 1614 A.D., after he had been killed by unknown people.

Sultan Abdul Ghafur was the last sultan of Pahang Sultanate. After his death, the crisis of leadership took place in the sultanate. There were many conflicts occurred in this sultanate since 1614 A.D. such as the clash between Raja Abdullah (the son of Sultan Abdul Ghafur) and Raja Bujang. During the vacuum period of leadership, the sultanate had ever been attacked by the Aceh Sultanate. In 1617 A.D., Sultan Iskandar Muda Mahkota Alam conquered the Pahang Sultanate. He then brought Raja Ahmad (the XII Sultan of Pahang) and his son of Raja Mughal to Aceh.

Based on the historical traces, the Pahang Sultanate had been existed probably for 144 years or one and half century that extended from 1470 to 1614 A.D. After 1614 A.D., there is no written record explaining about the development of the sultanate. However, the sultanate still exists up to now, but its administration systems have been adapted with the modern system.

4. The Kingdom Territory

In the Malay Peninsula, the Pahang Sultanate constitutes the biggest country with vast territories. Located on the edge of the Pahang River, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia, the territory of the sultanate is bordered by: Kelantan to the North; Perak, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan to the West; Johor to the South; Terengganu and Southern Chinese sea to the East. The territories of the sultanate are geographically divided into three parts; highlands, rainy forests, and coastal districts. The districts of the sultanate pervade such as Bentong, Bera, Cameron Highlands, Jerantut, Kuantan, Lipis, Maran, Pekan, Raub, Rompin, and Temerloh districts.

5. The Kingdom Structure

Dato` Haji Yaakub Isa (2005) refers to Hukum Kanun Pahang-HKP (Pahang Canon) for looking at the structure of system utilized by the Pahang Sultanate. The beginning of the HKP states, “menjaga manfaat terhadap negeri agar sultan-sultan boleh memelihara segala rakyat dan pada saat yang bersamaan sultan-sultan mengadakan pembesar untuk menggantikan baginda dan tidak menyulitkan baginda” (for sustaining the welfare for the country, the Sultans are demanded to protect all interest of Pahang people and avoid conflict in the succession process by appointing his successor.

The governmental system of the Pahang Sultanate can be described as below: the Sultan is on the top authority. He was assisted by bendahara (treasurer), tumenggung (governor), penghulu bendahari (…), and shahbandar (Harbor`s security). The Hukum Kanun Pahang explains the prohibited actions in the governmental system included disrespecting the Sultan`s position. Sultan, as the highest position in the Pahang, should be respected and it is regarded as the “sacred” position. According to the Kanun, it is also prohibited to use Hulu Keris Merumbai and other stuffs with yellow color. In the colloquial language, there were five words should not be accentuated by the commoners except for the Sultans. Those words were titah (King`s command), patik (slave), murka (angry), kurnia (grant), and anugerah (bestow).

6. The Socio-Cultural Life

The socio-cultural life of the Pahang Sultanate which is described below is the modern socio-cultural life. While the past socio-cultural life is not presented as there is no sufficient data telling us in detail about that.

Various ethnics make up the Pahang population, coming dominantly from Malay 989.473 (76.82%), Chinese 228.043 (17.7%), Indian 64.419 (4.98%), and other about 6.442 (0.5%). Reading the data, it can be said that the Pahang society is a plural society that is dwelled by many ethnics.

The livelihood of the Pahang population is mainly industries especially the wood industry. It is no wonder then since the vast territory of Pahang is covered by forests. Besides, the commoners work in informal sectors such as fisheries. Those who live in the seashore earn the living by producing salt and dry fishes.

(HQ/ter/101/03-08)

References:

Dato` Haji Yaakub Isa, “Kerajaan dan Kesultanan Melayu Pahang: Dalam Teks Hukum Kanun Pahang”, dalam Prosiding Seminar Antarbangsa Kesultanan Melayu Nusantara: Sejarah dan Warisan, Kuantan, Pahang Darul Makmur, 8-11 Mei 2005.
www.id.wikipedia.org/wiki/pahang.

Credit photo :

www.pahang-delights.com
Dr Farish Ahmad-Noor (Badrol Hisham Ahmad-Noor)
Senior Fellow for the Contemporary Islam Programme;
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS),
Nanyang Technological University (NTU),
Block S4, Level B4, Nanyang Avenue,
Singapore 639798

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Comment of "the pahang sultanate"

25 Okt 2010. Sang Guna

Bagaimana ini dari sumber mana penulis dapat segala maklumat tentang pahang, ianya byk berlaku percanggahan. Sultan muhamad bukan ank angkat kepada Sultan mansor syah dia adalah ank kandung cuma dia ditolak oleh bendahara kerana telah membunuh anaknya Tun besar. Tolong buat kajian yg mendalam sebelum menulis, apa yang ditulis Tuan amat mengelirukan.

Malay history