The Taming Sari Keris is Kept in Perak
Many are aware of the greatness of Datuk Laksamana Hang Tuah, a Malay legend. His story of greatness is always associated with the mystical Taming Sari Keris, which was said to grant invulnerability to its owner.
We have been told about it since we were children. Yet, many still wonder where the Taming Sari Keris is today. The legend of the Taming Sari Keris began when the Sultan of Melaka and his royal entourage traveled to Java to propose to the daughter of the King of Java. When the Melaka royal party arrived at the kraton (palace), a Javanese warrior named Taming Sari appeared and requested permission from the King of Java, Sang Prabu, to challenge the warriors from Melaka. After receiving the Sultan of Melaka's blessing, Hang Tuah entered the arena to fight Taming Sari. Both warriors fought with such intensity that it was impossible to predict who would win the battle. However, through Laksamana Hang Tuah's clever trickery, Taming Sari eventually fell at his hands. Following this victory, Sang Prabu gifted Taming Sari's keris to Hang Tuah.
After the Taming Sari Keris changed hands, the name Taming Sari remained with the weapon, which was now in the possession of Hang Tuah. The mystical keris in the hands of Laksamana Hang Tuah guided and brought Melaka to peace, success, and great renown.
Some time later, political strife occurred in the Melaka palace, and the Taming Sari Keris fell into the hands of Hang Jebat. Hang Tuah was banished from the palace and sentenced to death by the Sultan, but the sentence was not carried out by the Bendahara, and Hang Tuah was taken to a place far from the Sultan's knowledge. Hang Jebat, feeling that his friend had been wronged by the Sultan, rebelled and caused chaos in the palace. With the Taming Sari Keris in Hang Jebat's grasp, not even the entire Melaka army could wound him. The Sultan, regretting the incident, finally spoke of Hang Tuah's unparalleled loyalty to him. Upon hearing this, the Bendahara begged for forgiveness and revealed that he had not carried out the Sultan's execution order on Hang Tuah, but instead had hidden him in a place unknown to the Sultan. Overjoyed by this news, the Sultan ordered Hang Tuah to return to the palace as a warrior to fight his own best friend, Hang Jebat. Hang Tuah was reluctant to follow the order, but the Sultan's command had to be obeyed. In the duel between Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat, Hang Tuah succeeded in reclaiming the Taming Sari Keris from Hang Jebat through trickery, and subsequently stabbed and killed him.
As the saying goes, every time has its people, and every person has their time. After that, Hang Tuah and the Taming Sari Keris became legends. No one is certain where exactly Hang Tuah spent his final days after retiring from the Melaka palace, as his grave is claimed to be in three different states. No one can confirm which one is truly authentic—whether in Melaka, Riau, or Palembang. The same applies to the whereabouts of the Taming Sari Keris. Some believe that after Hang Tuah failed to propose to the Princess of Mount Ledang for the Sultan, he retired from the palace out of shame. He then returned the Taming Sari Keris to the Sultan. Not long after, the Melaka Sultanate fell to the Portuguese. The Sultan and most of the royal family retreated to Kampar (Riau) in Sumatra, and the Taming Sari Keris was taken along. There, the Sultan bestowed the Taming Sari Keris upon his son, Raja Mudzaffar, who later traveled to Perak and became the first Sultan of the Perak Sultanate. The Taming Sari Keris has since become the royal regalia of the Perak Sultanate since 1528.
However, there is another version of the story stating that Datuk Laksamana Hang Tuah felt deeply ashamed after failing to propose to the Princess of Mount Ledang for the Sultan, and that he never returned to the Melaka palace, instead throwing the Taming Sari Keris into the Duyung River in Melaka. Because of this, some assume that the keris currently at Istana Iskandariah, Kuala Kangsar, is merely a replica. The Perak Palace denies claims that the keris is fake. Today, the Taming Sari Keris is a royal heirloom, a state weapon, and is used in Perak's royal ceremonies. It has since become very opulent, with gold plating covering its entire sheath and blade, and jewels studded on its hilt. It is not for just anyone to see at any time. And so, a legend remains a legend, and a tale will always remain a tale.
