Kota Mahsuri (Mahsuri's Tomb)

Start your visit with cultural displays including traditional dance, musical instruments called caklempong, a local game called congkak, live plays, and a batik workshop where you can paint your own batik masterpiece.

Next, visit the Mahsuri museum to read the martyr's tragic story, watch a movie depicting her life, and see the series of disasters that befell Langkawi following her death. The museum houses Mahsuri's original tombstone, as well as jewelry, weapons, and household items belonging to her family.

Finally, wander around the stilted wooden village to see Mahsuri's final resting place and examples of local architecture and farming equipment. You can even draw water from Mahsuri's well which is said to contain healing properties - the supposed source of the heroine's famed beauty.

Look Around

Front entrance

"Silat" martial art performance

"Caklempong" musical performance

Local game "congkak"

Henna tattoo

Movie on Mahsuri's life in the museum

Entrance and cultural exhibits

Painting of Mahsuri

Replica of the blade that killed Mahsuri

Mahsuri museum

Mahsuri's tomb

Mahsuri's well

Mahsuri's house

Entrance to Mahsuri's house

Replica baby carrier

Mahsuri's tomb, well, and house

Neighboring rice fields

Guide explaining Mahsuri's story in front of her house.

Traditional-style homes

Outdoor area

Batik clothing for sale

Batik wall paintings for sale

Custom-designed batik stencil

Batik painting activity

Batik painting

Actor in costume before the play

Traveler soothing Mahsuri's baby

Villagers accusing Mahsuri

Live play

Who Will Like Kota Mahsuri

Culture Buff

Learn the fascinating legend of Mahsuri at the museum and decide whether you think her curse influenced Langkawi's past. Walk through reconstructed and restored homes from Mahsuri's time and delve into Malay culture by sampling local sweets and having a go at batik painting.

Fun Expert

Learn the fascinating legend of Mahsuri at the museum and decide whether you think her curse influenced Langkawi's past. Walk through reconstructed and restored homes from Mahsuri's time and delve into Malay culture by sampling local sweets and having a go at batik painting.

Wellness Pursuer

Buy bottles of water from Mahsuri's well to see if it really was the source of her beauty. Alternatively, visit the onsite shop to purchase sea-cucumber-based beauty products, said to have anti-aging properties.

Bucketlist Bandit

Watch an exhibition of Silat Melayu - an authentic local martial art requiring strength, balance, and control. This is one of the only places it can be found in Langkawi.

Insider Tips For Kota Mahsuri

• Read the legend of Mahsuri before your visit to better understand the sights.
• Batik painting costs RM20 (USD$4.50) per person to paint a small picture to take home. A professional batik artist will show you what to do.
• The museum includes a movie on Mahsuri's life that plays on a loop in a series of languages. Alternate languages show English subtitles.
• A live play runs at 11am & 2pm each day and costs RM1 (USD$0.22) per person. Actors wear traditional outfits and depict Mahsuri's story. The play is only in Bahasa Malaysia, not English, but if you read the story and visit the museum beforehand, you should understand what's going on.
• Watch your head when entering Mahsuri's house as the doorframe is very low.
• There is a small play area for children in the outdoor area with traditional games and hopscotch.

Video

How To Get There

Tech & Photography

Food & Drink

There is a small onsite café selling drinks and snacks. Some small food venders selling traditional cakes are located near Mahsuri's house.

"Kekaras" - sweet, crunchy, biscuit-like snack

"Peneram" - dense, sweet local donut

Local cakes from food vendors

Backstory

According to the legend, Mahsuri, was the daughter of Thai immigrants and lived in Langkawi between 1762 and 1800. Due to her great beauty, Mahsuri had many suitors but married Wan Darus, the brother of the village chief. Mahsuri gave birth to a son not long before her husband left to fight against invading Siamese. While he was away, local women jealous of Mahsuri's beauty accused her of being unfaithful to her husband with a traveler named Deraman.

Mahsuri pleaded her innocence while tied to a tree while to await her punishment, but she was sentenced to death. However, knives, daggers, and swords could not penetrate her skin, so she told the villagers to kill her with her family's ceremonial keris. She was stabbed and white blood flowed, signifying her innocence. With her dying breath, Mahsuri cursed Langkawi with bad luck for 7 generations.

Following Mahsuri's death, Langkawi did indeed experience bad luck, including invading armies and natural disasters from droughts to floods. The seventh-generation from Mahsuri's curse passed at the same time the island experienced a tourism boom and an end to economic hardships, causing many to believe in Mahsuri's curse.

Kota Mahsuri was founded in 1983 and was one of Langkawi's first tourist attractions.

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