Soliloquy

The Malacca river flows ever so gently.

I had the great privilege of backpacking across the country of Malaysia recently. One of the biggest powers in Southeast Asia, this country has an amalgamation of Malay, Chinese and Tamil cultures.

This post is dedicated to the city of Malacca, which is said to be the historic capital of Malaysia. It is often said that if not for Malacca, there would have been no Malaysia.

The city was named after the ‘Amalaki’ or Indian gooseberry by the Hindu prince of Sumatra, Parameshwara who took refuge under the said tree while escaping persecution from his own land.

The tree gave him shelter and he found inspiration enough to set up a new kingdom on the banks of the eponymous river. He converted to Islam later on, took on the title of Iskandar Shah, and founded the Sultanate of Malacca.

Called Melaka today, this city boasts of an incredible culture, tradition and history and was by all measures the perfect gateway for me into this scintillating country of nuances.

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