One day, during a special occasion, the Raja of Java invited a troupe of dancers into the palace for a performance. His brother, a well-respected warrior named Pangeran Adipat, was also present.
As the evening progressed, the young man became enthralled with the beauty of one of the dancers. His heart pounded madly in his chest and he found himself falling in love with the beautiful lady.
Even after the performance, he could not stop thinking about her. So, he sought her out and eventually found her at the balcony. Apparently, the dancer felt the same way about him.
Before long, they married and Pangeran Adipat built a hut in the woods for his new wife. All this was done in secret as he knew his brother would never consent to his marrying a commoner.
After the couple had been together for some time, Pangeran Adipat's wife gave birth to a baby girl. The warrior named her 'Radin Mas', which means 'golden princess'.
One day, the Raja summoned his brother into his private quarters and demanded to know about the woman, a commoner, his brother had taken for his wife. Pengaran Adipat admitted to the fact and even told the Raja that his wife had just given birth to a beautiful baby girl.
The Raja was not at all joyful at the news and chided his brother for bringing disgrace to the throne. He demanded that Pangeran Adipat renounce the marriage at once.
"You may be the ruler of this land but you have no claim over my heart", Pangeran Adipat retorted.
Having grown up together, the Raja knew that his brother was an honourable man and would never abandon his family. Secretly, he devised a plan to rid himself of this problem. He commanded his brother to move against their enemies and to lead the attack.
Pengaran Adipat was reluctant to leave his wife and child, but as a warrior, it was his duty to obey the Raja's orders. Even his wife was supportive of his decision. As expected, Pangeran Adipat emerged victorious.
Immediately, he rushed off to see his wife and child. He had missed them so much. But he found only charred ruins! Devastated, he yelled for his wife. Suddenly, the bushes nearby parted and his wife's attendant appeared.
"My lord, it was terrible! The fire was everywhere. I carried your daughter and ran out of the house! Then the roof collapsed before I could save the poor girl's mother …", the attendant lamented.
Pangeran Adipat was told that the Raja had sent some men to the hut and without a word, set fire to it. He was devastated to learn that his brother was responsible for it. They both got into a heated argument and Pangeran Adipat swore never to set foot in the palace again.
Together with his faithful attendant and his daughter, Pangeran Adipat set sail for Singapura. He led a simple farmer's life where no one knew of his true lineage..
One day, some pirates invaded Singapura and many people were murdered. When Pangeran Adipat heard this, he immediately went to the village to confront the pirates and with the training he had received, he easily defeated the pirates.
The next day, while an envoy from Java was paying a courtesy call on the Raja of Singapura, Pangeran Adipat arrived at the palace because the Raja of Singapura had wanted to meet the warrior who defeated the pirates.
When the Javanese envoy saw Pangeran, he immediately stood up and greeted him. The Raja of Singapura was wondering what was going on when the Javanese envoy explained that Pangeran was in fact the brother of the Raja of Java.
The Raja offered the hand of his daughter in marriage to Pangeran but told the Raja that he would like to seek the approval of his daughter first. Soon they were married.
The Raja's daughter gave birth to a baby boy and named him Tengku Chik. Life was perfect for the couple but not for Radin Mas. The Princess would often ill-treat her when her father was at work.
One day, Radin Mas accidentally dropped a plate. Tengku Chik stepped on the broken pieces and injured his feet. The Princess immediately accuse Radin Mas of deliberately harming her child.
Pangeran refused to believe the Princess when she related the accusation to him later that evening. This angered his wife who headed straight for her nephew's house. She had an idea that would get Radin Mas out of her life.
The next day, The Princess invited Pangeran over to her nephew's house, presumably to discuss the event sof the previous night. Unknown to him, his drink was drugged and the old warrior was soon bundled up and lowered into a well.
The princess's nephew sought out Radin Mas and forced her to agree to marry him or else her father would die. She complied and was forced to tell the guests that her father was not at her wedding because he had passed away.
Suddenly, her step-brother interjected and disclosed that her father was still alive and was tied up in an old well. Armed with the information, they rushed to the well and rescued Pangeran Adipat, who was weak but still alive.
A fearful Tengku Bagus was not far away and he swept forward with his weapon in hand. He lunged toward Pangeran Adipat but before he could reach him, Radin Mas quickly moved in front of her father. The weapon struck Radin Mas and she fell lifeless into her father's arms. The angry guests took Tengku Bagus away and the commotion enabled the Princess to sneak away but the heavens opened up and a fierce lightning bolt struck at her.
With deep grief, the people buried their beloved and virtuous princess at the foot of the hill.
About Radin Mas
According to traditions, Radin Mas settled in Telok Blangah when she and her father first set foot on Singapore.
Today, Radin Mas' grave can be found at the foot of Mount Faber. A small shrine had been built in her memory.
In 1926, the place where she lived was converted into a school and named after her, Radin Mas Primary School, where our dear Mr Lim Beng Soon studied in. It subsequently moved into her new premises at Bukit Purmei Avenue in 1984.
As the evening progressed, the young man became enthralled with the beauty of one of the dancers. His heart pounded madly in his chest and he found himself falling in love with the beautiful lady.
Even after the performance, he could not stop thinking about her. So, he sought her out and eventually found her at the balcony. Apparently, the dancer felt the same way about him.
Before long, they married and Pangeran Adipat built a hut in the woods for his new wife. All this was done in secret as he knew his brother would never consent to his marrying a commoner.After the couple had been together for some time, Pangeran Adipat's wife gave birth to a baby girl. The warrior named her 'Radin Mas', which means 'golden princess'.
One day, the Raja summoned his brother into his private quarters and demanded to know about the woman, a commoner, his brother had taken for his wife. Pengaran Adipat admitted to the fact and even told the Raja that his wife had just given birth to a beautiful baby girl.
The Raja was not at all joyful at the news and chided his brother for bringing disgrace to the throne. He demanded that Pangeran Adipat renounce the marriage at once.
"You may be the ruler of this land but you have no claim over my heart", Pangeran Adipat retorted.
Having grown up together, the Raja knew that his brother was an honourable man and would never abandon his family. Secretly, he devised a plan to rid himself of this problem. He commanded his brother to move against their enemies and to lead the attack.
Pengaran Adipat was reluctant to leave his wife and child, but as a warrior, it was his duty to obey the Raja's orders. Even his wife was supportive of his decision. As expected, Pangeran Adipat emerged victorious.
Immediately, he rushed off to see his wife and child. He had missed them so much. But he found only charred ruins! Devastated, he yelled for his wife. Suddenly, the bushes nearby parted and his wife's attendant appeared.
"My lord, it was terrible! The fire was everywhere. I carried your daughter and ran out of the house! Then the roof collapsed before I could save the poor girl's mother …", the attendant lamented.
Pangeran Adipat was told that the Raja had sent some men to the hut and without a word, set fire to it. He was devastated to learn that his brother was responsible for it. They both got into a heated argument and Pangeran Adipat swore never to set foot in the palace again.
Together with his faithful attendant and his daughter, Pangeran Adipat set sail for Singapura. He led a simple farmer's life where no one knew of his true lineage..
One day, some pirates invaded Singapura and many people were murdered. When Pangeran Adipat heard this, he immediately went to the village to confront the pirates and with the training he had received, he easily defeated the pirates.
The next day, while an envoy from Java was paying a courtesy call on the Raja of Singapura, Pangeran Adipat arrived at the palace because the Raja of Singapura had wanted to meet the warrior who defeated the pirates.
When the Javanese envoy saw Pangeran, he immediately stood up and greeted him. The Raja of Singapura was wondering what was going on when the Javanese envoy explained that Pangeran was in fact the brother of the Raja of Java.
The Raja offered the hand of his daughter in marriage to Pangeran but told the Raja that he would like to seek the approval of his daughter first. Soon they were married.
The Raja's daughter gave birth to a baby boy and named him Tengku Chik. Life was perfect for the couple but not for Radin Mas. The Princess would often ill-treat her when her father was at work.
One day, Radin Mas accidentally dropped a plate. Tengku Chik stepped on the broken pieces and injured his feet. The Princess immediately accuse Radin Mas of deliberately harming her child.
Pangeran refused to believe the Princess when she related the accusation to him later that evening. This angered his wife who headed straight for her nephew's house. She had an idea that would get Radin Mas out of her life.
The next day, The Princess invited Pangeran over to her nephew's house, presumably to discuss the event sof the previous night. Unknown to him, his drink was drugged and the old warrior was soon bundled up and lowered into a well.
The princess's nephew sought out Radin Mas and forced her to agree to marry him or else her father would die. She complied and was forced to tell the guests that her father was not at her wedding because he had passed away.
Suddenly, her step-brother interjected and disclosed that her father was still alive and was tied up in an old well. Armed with the information, they rushed to the well and rescued Pangeran Adipat, who was weak but still alive.
A fearful Tengku Bagus was not far away and he swept forward with his weapon in hand. He lunged toward Pangeran Adipat but before he could reach him, Radin Mas quickly moved in front of her father. The weapon struck Radin Mas and she fell lifeless into her father's arms. The angry guests took Tengku Bagus away and the commotion enabled the Princess to sneak away but the heavens opened up and a fierce lightning bolt struck at her.
With deep grief, the people buried their beloved and virtuous princess at the foot of the hill.
About Radin MasAccording to traditions, Radin Mas settled in Telok Blangah when she and her father first set foot on Singapore.
Today, Radin Mas' grave can be found at the foot of Mount Faber. A small shrine had been built in her memory.
In 1926, the place where she lived was converted into a school and named after her, Radin Mas Primary School, where our dear Mr Lim Beng Soon studied in. It subsequently moved into her new premises at Bukit Purmei Avenue in 1984.
There is also a constituency named after her.
(Note: I have been receiving comments that some of the faces featured here look familiar and similar to some people in the department. Well, what can I say? Surely, in a world of billions, there ought to be some who look similar here and there).
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