The story that the king got
Hearing the word Aceh, of course many people know this area as a coffee producing area and has beautiful natural landscapes. Apart from that, perhaps there are also those who see the uniqueness of Aceh as a special region with special autonomy. However, do you know about Acehnese culture? Or at least know a little? Like other regions, of course Aceh is also rich in cultural heritage. However, what I will discuss this time is about folklore or folklore.
Now I will tell you one of the legendary stories from Aceh called Banta Seudang. According to the story, Banta was the son of the king of Aceh who was trying to find medicine for his father. What's the complete story? let's look at it together, now I'll start.
The king was blind and temporarily abdicated
It is said that in ancient times in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, there was a king who was loved by his people. This king had an empress as his life companion and one day the empress was pregnant and about to give birth. The time when the baby was about to be born was the same time the king was hunting in the forest. However, fate awaited the king, when in the middle of his hunt he could not see the appearance of his newborn son, the king had an accident which resulted in a branch being poked in both of his eyes which meant that his eyes could no longer see. The newborn boy was named Banta Seudang.
Since that incident, while the king's younger brother held the royal throne, while the king's younger brother was in power, Banta Seudang continued to grow into an intelligent child. Then, Banta Seudang thought about who was paying for their lives. Because since childhood he knew that his father was blind and could not work. Then, his mother told him that his uncle or father's younger brother was paying their living expenses. Banta Seudang also understood this and considered his uncle as king to be a kind person.
Long story short, Banta Seudang and his mother went to meet the king. The aim is to ask Banta Seudang to go to school. However, this request was flatly rejected by the king while sneering at them as people who did not know themselves. Hearing the king's response, his mother was very sad because Banta Seudang should have gone to school because he was old enough. Banta Seudang then calmed him down and from then on he was determined to find medicine to cure his father's illness. Then, Banta Seudang wandered across the world for months. Once, he arrived in a dense forest and found a hall. Then, he rested. However, he also thought about how there could be a hall in the middle of a dense forest. Not long after, a person wearing a white robe came to the hall to perform Asr prayers in congregation. After praying, they disappeared in an instant. It turns out that they are the spirits of Waliyullah, but Banta doesn't know it yet.
So that they wouldn't disappear, he decided to wait until sunset to hold the imam's hand when they arrived. He carried out his plan until the priest understood what the purpose of Banta Seudang was. Finally, Banta was ordered to follow a white elephant and ride it.
Then, he met Mak Toyo, the caretaker of the garden belonging to the powerful king. In fact, the king had 7 girls who liked to bathe in the pool in the park. He said, in that pond there are bengkawali flowers which can cure blindness.
When Friday arrived, all the king's daughters came to the garden to bathe. After they finished, Mak Toyo immediately clapped his hands in the pool water three times. Not long after, the bengkawali flowers appeared and were given to Banta Seudang.
However, unbeknownst to Mak Toyo, Banta Seudang had previously sneaked into the garden and taken the flying suit of one of the king's daughters so that she couldn't go home and had to stay overnight at Mak Toyo's house.
While staying overnight, it turned out that the king's daughter fell in love with Banta and finally they got married. Then, they returned together to return to the Banta Seudang residence to give bengkawali flowers. After arriving, Banta then soaked the flowers in a bowl of water and rubbed the soaked water on his father's face. Miraculously, his father was able to see again and finally royal power returned to his hands. All the residents were happy because the king they loved could return to power. just a brief glimpse of the story, hopefully you will be entertained
