Dato Maharaja Lela
Encyclopedia
Dato Maharaja Lela Pandak Lam (died on 20 January 1877) was a Malay
nationalist from Perak
.
A descendant of Daeng Salili, Pandak Lam was the son of a Bugis
King from Luwuk District, Sulawesi
. During the reign of Sultan Muzaffar Shah III, he came to Perak
and was appointed Mufti
and was awarded the title "Dato 'Maharaja Lela Tan Lela", granting him the authority to punish by decapitation
without question.
Pandak Lam was a leader who later led the struggle against the British
in Perak
. Together with other leaders such as Dato 'Sagor and Ngah Kandin, he planned an alliance to assassinate James Wheller Woodford Birch (J.W.W. Birch), the British Resident of Perak
. The decision was approved by Durian Sebatang meeting chaired by Sultan Abdullah on 21 July 1875.
Birch was killed on 2 November 1875 Dato Maharaja Lela and his assistant Sepuntum, who speared him to death while he was taking his bath, nearby a river, in Pasir Salak
, near today's Teluk Intan
(Teluk Anson).
There is inconsistency as to the reason why Birch was assassinated. One view is that Birch's assassination was because he outlawed slavery in Perak
. Dato Maharajalela, whose income depended on capturing and selling the indigenes of Perak or Orang Asli
as slaves, was then incensed and plotted with some of the slave-traders to kill Birch by spearing him when he was taking his bath in the river.
The more popular view among rightwing Malay historians indicate that Birch was assassinated because of his disrespect to the local custom and tradition, and conflict with local Malay chiefs. This is because modern Malay historians generally refuse to accept that the Orang Asli
were being traded as slaves in the pre-Colonial era. Some accounts claimed that Birch was arrogant and disrespectful of local customs and the ruling Sultan of Perak
, for example by refusing to remove his shoes when he entered the palace.
To those historians, Dato' Maharajalela is generally celebrated as a folk hero, due to his substantial contribution and seen to be a symbol of the Malay resistance against British colonialism.
In the aftermath of the event, the administration shifted to Taiping
. Sultan Abdullah was deposed and sent to exile in Seychelles
.
Dato Maharajalela was found guilty for the murder of Birch by the presiding court from 14 December until 22 December 1876 in Matang
, Perak
. He was sentenced to death by hanging on 20 January 1877 in Taiping.
The terms 'maharajalela' (in Malay language
) and 'merajalela' (in Indonesian language
) stems from his name to describe uncontrollable actions or phenomenon.
Malay people
Malays are an ethnic group of Austronesian people predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, including the southernmost parts of Thailand, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, and the smaller islands which lie between these locations...
nationalist from Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
.
A descendant of Daeng Salili, Pandak Lam was the son of a Bugis
Bugis
The Bugis are the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, the southwestern province of Sulawesi, Indonesia's third largest island. Although many Bugis live in the large port cities of Makassar and Parepare, the majority are farmers who grow wet rice on the...
King from Luwuk District, Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
. During the reign of Sultan Muzaffar Shah III, he came to Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
and was appointed Mufti
Mufti
A mufti is a Sunni Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law . In religious administrative terms, a mufti is roughly equivalent to a deacon to a Sunni population...
and was awarded the title "Dato 'Maharaja Lela Tan Lela", granting him the authority to punish by decapitation
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
without question.
Pandak Lam was a leader who later led the struggle against the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
. Together with other leaders such as Dato 'Sagor and Ngah Kandin, he planned an alliance to assassinate James Wheller Woodford Birch (J.W.W. Birch), the British Resident of Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
. The decision was approved by Durian Sebatang meeting chaired by Sultan Abdullah on 21 July 1875.
Birch was killed on 2 November 1875 Dato Maharaja Lela and his assistant Sepuntum, who speared him to death while he was taking his bath, nearby a river, in Pasir Salak
Pasir Salak
Pasir Salak is a historical place in Perak, Malaysia, where an important event in Malaysian history took place, the uprising fight against the colonial presence, when J.W.W. Birch the first British resident in Perak, was murdered by the local statesman Dato Maharaja Lela and Sepuntum...
, near today's Teluk Intan
Teluk Intan
Teluk Intan（安順）is a town located in the state of Perak in Malaysia. It is the largest town in Hilir Perak district and third largest town in the state of Perak with an estimated population of around 120,000, about half of Hilir Perak district's total population...
(Teluk Anson).
There is inconsistency as to the reason why Birch was assassinated. One view is that Birch's assassination was because he outlawed slavery in Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
. Dato Maharajalela, whose income depended on capturing and selling the indigenes of Perak or Orang Asli
Orang Asli
Orang Asli , is a generic Malaysian term used for people indigenous to Peninsular Malaysia...
as slaves, was then incensed and plotted with some of the slave-traders to kill Birch by spearing him when he was taking his bath in the river.
The more popular view among rightwing Malay historians indicate that Birch was assassinated because of his disrespect to the local custom and tradition, and conflict with local Malay chiefs. This is because modern Malay historians generally refuse to accept that the Orang Asli
Orang Asli
Orang Asli , is a generic Malaysian term used for people indigenous to Peninsular Malaysia...
were being traded as slaves in the pre-Colonial era. Some accounts claimed that Birch was arrogant and disrespectful of local customs and the ruling Sultan of Perak
Sultan of Perak
Sultan of Perak is one of the oldest hereditary seats among the Malay states.When the Sultanate of Malacca empire fell to Portugal in 1511, Sultan Mahmud Syah I retreated to Kampar, Sumatra and died there in 1528. He left behind two princes named Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah II and Sultan Muzaffar...
, for example by refusing to remove his shoes when he entered the palace.
To those historians, Dato' Maharajalela is generally celebrated as a folk hero, due to his substantial contribution and seen to be a symbol of the Malay resistance against British colonialism.
In the aftermath of the event, the administration shifted to Taiping
Taiping, Perak
Taiping is a town located in northern Perak, Malaysia. With a population of 191,104 , it is the second largest town in Perak after Ipoh, the state capital. Taiping took over Kuala Kangsar's role as the state capital from 1876 to 1937, but was then replaced by Ipoh...
. Sultan Abdullah was deposed and sent to exile in Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
.
Dato Maharajalela was found guilty for the murder of Birch by the presiding court from 14 December until 22 December 1876 in Matang
Matang
Matang is a Dalit caste in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. Matangs are known as Madigas in Andhra Pradesh.Matang originally belong to Nagvansh, an ancient race of North India. This race was staunch follower of Shramanic religions like Jainism and Buddhism...
, Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
. He was sentenced to death by hanging on 20 January 1877 in Taiping.
The terms 'maharajalela' (in Malay language
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
) and 'merajalela' (in Indonesian language
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
) stems from his name to describe uncontrollable actions or phenomenon.
See also
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- Rosli DhobiRosli DhobiRosli Dhoby was a Malay Sarawakian nationalist from Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia during the British crown colony era in that state....
, a famous MalayMalay peopleMalays are an ethnic group of Austronesian people predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, including the southernmost parts of Thailand, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, and the smaller islands which lie between these locations...
SarawakSarawakSarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
ian who killed Sir Duncan Stewart