Thursday 30 July 2020

The Origin of the Name Bengkulu

According to Folklore from Bengkulu, the origin of the name Bengkulu originated during the war between the Kingdom of Aceh and the Kingdom of Serut. The root of the problem is the rejection of the proposal by Putra Raja Aceh by Raja Anak Dalam Muara Bengkulu, the King of the Kingdom of Serut. The battle took place between the two kingdoms with great without any win or lose party.
The Origin of the Name Bengkulu


Once upon a time, a long time ago there was a kingdom in Bengkulu Province called the Kingdom of Serut which was led by Ratu Agung. Ratu Agung has seven children. The eldest was named Pangeran Anak Dalam Muara Bengkulu, while the youngest was named Putri Gading Cempaka.

When Ratu Agung died, Pangeran Anak Dalam Muara Bengkulu was named his successor. He then ruled the Kingdom of Serut with a fair and wise to continue the justice of his father. Under his leadership, the trade of the Kingdom of Serut became rapidly developing.

The Prince of the Kingdom of Aceh Wants to Apply for Putri Gading Cempaka

Over time, the youngest brother of Raja Anak Dalam Muara Bengkulu, namely Putri Gading Cempaka, grew into a beautiful beautiful girl. Many princes and wealthy merchants have wanted to marry him.

The beauty of Putri Gading Cempaka was also known by a Prince from the Kingdom of Aceh. The Prince immediately sent a messenger to the Kingdom of Serut to convey the wishes of the Prince of Aceh to propose Putri Gading Cempaka. The Prince's wish to propose was rejected smoothly by Raja Anak Dalam Muara Bengkulu.

After learning of his desire to apply was rejected by Raja Anak Dalam, the Prince of Aceh felt very offended. He was angry, not playing. He then asked the Aceh Kingdom to attack the Serut Kingdom. Shortly afterwards the Kingdom of Aceh sent troops on a large scale using warships.

The War of the Kingdom of Aceh with the Kingdom of Serut

Raja Anak Dalam Muara Bengkulu knew about the planned attack. He immediately prepared a special strategy to deal with the troops of the Kingdom of Aceh. He knew that the Kingdom of Aceh had a strong army. The kingdom of Aceh is notoriously difficult to defeat. He ordered his troops to cut down trees. The tree trunks were then thrown into the river so that they could block the movement of the Royal Aceh troops.

The Serut Royal troops immediately worked hard to cut down trees, then washed the tree trunks into the river. While some other troops are on guard to face attacks by the Kingdom of Aceh. There are countless trees washed away to meet the river.

When the Acehnese troops arrived in the river to get to the kingdom of Serut, they were surprised to find that many tree trunks drifted from the headwaters to obstruct their ships. With great difficulty, they tried to avoid the woods which severely hampered their journey. To avoid the wood, some soldiers shouted, "Empang ka upstream! Empang ka upstream! " Finally, after working hard, the ships of the Kingdom of Aceh succeeded in moving. They landed on a hillside.

The soldiers of the Kingdom of Aceh jumped ashore from their ships. The Acehnese soldiers were immediately welcomed by the attack of the Serut Kingdom troops who had been waiting. Then there was a great battle between the two armies. With the clever stratagem of Raja Anak In Muara Bengkulu, the greatness of the Aceh Kingdom troops was able to be balanced by the Serut Kingdom troops. The war lasted long enough without any sign of which troops would excel and which troops would lose. There have been many casualties from both sides, however, the two forces seem balanced.

Seeing the endless warfare, Raja Anak Dalam Muara Bengkulu felt sad. He could not see so many victims falling. Finally, accompanied by his six younger siblings, relatives of the royal family, and some of his loyal followers, Raja Anak Dalam Muara Bengkulu then went to Mount Bender. They stayed in the mountain until the war ended.

Empang Ka Hulu The Origin of the Name of Bengkulu

Because there was no sign of which army would win, the battle finally ended on its own. Both parties agreed to make peace, not to continue the war. Even though the war has ended, Raja Anak Dalam along with his six younger siblings and loyal followers remain on Mount Hunchback.

Since the fierce war, the kingdom of Serut then changed its name. Starting from the screams of the soldiers of the Kingdom of Aceh, Empang Ka Hulu, changed to Pangkahulu, changed again to Bangkahulu and finally over time, now we know him by the name of Bengkulu.

More Folklore on Bengkulu:

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