Once upon a time, there lived a queen in West Java. Her name was Nyi Rambut Kasih. She was very beautiful. She ruled Sindang Kasih Kingdom, a Hindu Kingdom. The kingdom was famous for its endemic trees, the Maja trees of which fruits were the cure of many kinds of illnesses.
The kingdom shared a border with the Cirebon Sultanate. One day, a deadly plague started to spread in the sultanate. The people suffered so much and many victims of the plague could only live for a few weeks before finally died.
Sunan Gunung Jati, the ruler of the sultanate, then summoned his student, Prince Muhammad and asked him to go to Sindang Kasih to request for Maja fruits to cure the people.
He said, “My student, you know our people are suffering from the plague. I want you go Sindang Kasih to ask for Maja fruits. Please go as soon as possible. We are in an emergency situation.”
Prince Muhammad answered dutifully, “Certainly, Your Highness. I will go straight away and I am taking my wife to accompany me.”
The prince was a handsome and well-mannered gentleman and was just recently married to Siti Armillah.
So, the Prince went to Sindang Kasih. When he met the queen in her palace, he said, “Greeting, your highness. Let me introduce myself. My name is Prince Muhammad. Sunan Gunung Jati has sent me to ask your permission to have Maja fruits for the cure for our sick people.”
The queen was reluctant to give the fruits but liked Prince Muhammad’s politeness and wanted to have him as her husband. Smiling, she then asked, “Dear Prince, you can have as many Maja fruits as you want if you become my husband.”
Prince Muhammad was surprised that the very beautiful queen asked him to become her husband. However, he knew that it would be a problem because they did not embraced the same religion. Furthermore, he was just married and he loved his wife so much.
He said, “It is an honor, Your Highness. Yet, I cannot marry you because you know too that we had a surmountable obstacle and also I am a married man. Please forgive me.”
The queen was disappointed. Enraged by this refusal, she said, “If I cannot marry you, I will not let you have the Maja fruits.” Then, she ordered her soldiers to cut down all Maja trees in Sindang Kasih and to destroy all the fruits. She was said to disappear without any trace after the incident.
Prince Muhammad was very sad to see all the trees being destroyed. He couldn’t fulfil Sunan Gunung Jati’s order and he was too ashamed to go back to Cirebon. He decided to stay in Sindang Kasih which was afterwards called Majalengka after he said “Maja Langka” which meant “Majas were gone” in Cirebon language.
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