1st Sultan? Merong Mahawangsa?
Oh no, Sultan Muzaffar Shah is the 1st Sultan of Kedah. He became Muslim in 1136 AD while his age was around 30, because previously he was known with the title Phra Ong. Mahawangsa is his surname. Merong Mahawangsa is Sultan Muzaffar Shah's ancestor.
Merong Mahawangsa has connection with ancient Sri Lanka, you can check his surname from Sri Lankan text about royal family which is Mahavamsah chronicle which was first written in Ligor (South Thai) around 4th C by a local Buddhist monk. Merong Mahawangsa who is the first king of Langkasuka and Kedah. Kedah became a city-state of her own and became a separate entity from Langkasuka around 6th C when a group of Pallava royals entering Kedah after the death of Langkasukan king whose name is Ramaniubha in 5th C. Pallava people are Indo-Iranian people of ancient India iron-age or on the other hand were Persian.
Actually Kedah was the western port of Langkasuka. Patani (Pan Pan) was the eastern port of Langkasuka. We have many things in common with those in Patani because we were once in a nation :statisfie.
Merong means Dragon or Big Snake (Cobra). It is our old language, the same language that we share with Funan kingdom in Southern Cambodia. Our elders used a circle of 12 years which was said absorbed by Chinese into their calender system. They call it as Piama. It is used to predict the good time (climate) for paddy agriculture. I guess not many people know about this anymore. It is still used in Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
Many historians believe that Funan was actually a proto-Malay kingdom. It was defeated and later absorbed by a Khmer ethnic kingdom called land Chenla. Chenla was a vassal state of Funan and located in Laos today. Sailendra family who ruled in Srivijaiya empire in Southern Sumatera are believed as the descendants of Funan royals who ran to Southern Sumatera. According to ancient war custom in SEAn mainland, those lose in war emperor and their whole family will be slaughtered by the new over-rule king or emperor. Their kingdoms will be vassal to the new powerful kingdom.
Hey, you can visit National Museum of Kuala Lumpur when you're free, they have ancient time exhibition in ground floor. You can grab some information there too.
Piama Year
Chut: Tikus (Rat)
Chelu: Lembu (Bull)
Kan: Harimau (Tiger)
Thok: (Deer)
Merong: Naga (Dragon, Cobra)
Mesing: Ular Kecil (Little Snake)
Memih: Kuda (Horse)
Memia: Kambing (Goat)
Wouk: Beruk (Monkey)
Reka: Ayam (Roaster)
Chor: Anjing (Hound)
Kun: Kura-Kura (Tortoise)
About Cambodia, you can read Kaundinya Brahmin and Nang Nak (Cik Puan Naga/Lady Dragon). Her Hindu name is Soma, and her Chinese name is recorded as Liu Ye (Willow Leaf). About Kedah, of course you can read our traditional oral literature, Merong Mahawangsa, and Royal Record of Kedah known as Tarikh Salasilah Negeri Kedah. Also other sources from South Thailand such as Hikayat Patani written by Syeikh Daud al-Fathani and Phra Dhatu Nakorn.
. Now I realize how beautiful our state and country is. We have to protect the lands from being damaged. Our first Muslim Sultan grave is there in Merbok, without any proper management of the place, although his contribution toward Islam is huge.