Of Curry Debal and Hopeful Churches Part 1 - Malaccan History...Briefly

Let’s just say on an idle Saturday afternoon, an Average Joe takes a two-hour drive (assuming he follows the speed limit) down south from the Klang Valley, he most probably would end up at the Ayer Keroh toll plaza. For those who don’t know, Ayer Keroh is one of three toll exits leading to the state of Melaka. It is also the nearest to the Historical City of Melaka itself.

Malacca Coat of Arms

The drive down to the city itself would tease Joe’s eyes to fascinating places to visit; the Crocodile Farm, the Melaka Zoo, arguably the next best thing after Taiping Zoo, the Butterfly Farm, a man-made waterfall, and the Spice Garden among others. A short drive later, as Joe hits the heart of the city, shopping havens like Jonker Walk, Bunga Raya Road and a few other malls would definitely give him a run for his money and around the corner, places like the Clock Tower, Istana Melaka Museum, A Famosa would just fascinate him so much, he’d be wishing he paid more attention when Puan Safiatun taught History.

Anyways, fasten your seat belt, here’s a short trip down memory lane. Around 1400, Parameswara founded Melaka. He embraced Islam and was known as Sultan Iskandar Shah. He ruled Melaka until the year 1414 when Sultan Megat Iskandar Shah reigned. The Melaka Sultanate continued it’s supremacy throughout the century for which Melaka grew as the number one port in the world. Even China sent her princess, Hang Li Po who married Sultan Mansur Shah and Admiral Cheng Ho along with fleets of diplomats and traders to Melaka. Melaka was also the first foreign government to have strong Sino-Melaka relations after Sultan Iskandar Shah paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty.

Somewhere along this era, legends were born and bred. Melaka boasted the earliest Malayan heroes through the likes of Tun Perak, Hang Tuah and his brave brotherhood, Jebat, Lekir, Lekiu and Kasturi and the exemplary administration from Sultan Muzaffar Shah to the reign of Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah.

Melaka also faced lacking leadership which indirectly led to her fall to the Portuguese. The “White Bengalis”, as they were referred to by the Indian traders came not as conquerors of evangelists but more in search of trade. With the capture of Lopez de Sequeira, the Portuguese retaliated by conquering Melaka and capturing her on the 24^th August 1511.