User:Lemongirl942/Radin Mas Ayu

Radin Mas Ayu was a 16th century Javanese princess and the subject of a Singaporean legend. According to the legend she was a filial daughter who sacrificed her life while shielding her father from being killed. A shrine was built in her memory and the Radin Mas area in Singapore is named after her.

Legend of Radin Mas
According to the legend, Pangeran Adipati Agung, the younger brother of the king of Java, fell in love with a beautiful dancer. He married her in secret and a daughter, Radin Mas Ayu (meaning "sweet golden princess") was born to them. When the king found that Pangeran had married a commoner, he plotted to get rid of the dancer. After sending Pangeran away to fight a battle, the king had his men burn down Pangeran's house. Pangeran's wife died due to the fire but Radin Mas Ayu was rescued by a loyal servant. When Pangeran returned and learnt the truth, he cut off ties with his brother and left the kingdom along with his daughter.

They arrived in Singapore and settled down in the village of Telok Blangah living like commoners. One day, when the village was attacked by pirates, Pangeran helped defend it. This news reached the Sultan of Singapore, who commended Pangeran for his bravery. At the court, a Javanese envoy revealed Pangeran's royal lineage. The Sultan then arranged for his princess to be married to Pangeran. Pangeran agreed and a son, Tengku Chik, was born from this union. However, Radin Mas Ayu, now a grown up girl, was not liked by her stepmother and was often treated cruelly.

One day, Radin Mas Ayu dropped a plate and Tengku Chick accidentally cut his foot on the broken pieces. The angry stepmother complained to Pangeran, but he refused to believe that Radin Mas Ayu did it on purpose. This angered her even more and she started looking for ways to take revenge. Meanwhile, Tun Bagus, the stepmother's nephew, expressed a desire to marry Radin Mas Ayu, but this was not reciprocated. Offended at the declination of his marriage proposal, he plotted with the stepmother and managed to secretly imprison Pangeran in an unused well. He then told Radin Mas Ayu that he would kill Pangeran if she didn't marry him. Fearing for her father's life, she agreed to the marriage and did not reveal to anyone the truth behind Pangeran's disappearance. However, Tengku Chik, while playing, had stumbled upon the well and noticed his father inside.

During the wedding solemnisation ceremony, Radin Mas Ayu was customarily asked if she had her father's permission to marry. Trying to explain her father's absence, she lied that her father had died while on a visit to Java. At this moment, Tengku Chik blurted out that his father was alive in the unused well. With the plot revealed, Pangeran was soon rescued. In rage, Tun Bagus drew his kris and lunged at Pangeran, who was weak from the imprisonment. Radin Mas Ayu leapt forward to shield her father, with the kris fatally piercing her heart. The step-mother tried to escape but was struck by lightning.

Radin Mas Ayu was buried at the foot of Mount Faber and a shrine was built in her memory.

Keramat Radin Mas
The shrine of