THE crown worn by Selangor Rulers as part of their royal regalia is unique, as its design reflects a union between traditional Bugis and Western elements.
Inspired by the Bugis Songkok Leleng, the crown is a resplendent creation crafted from gold, diamonds and rubies.
According to Sultan Abdul Aziz Royal Gallery general manager Datuk Munasor Aliyasak, the crown was commissioned in 1903 during the reign of Selangor’s fifth Ruler, Sultan Sir Ala’eddin Sulaiman Shah (1898-1938).
Munasor said little is known about the type of crown worn by Selangor’s first three Rulers – Raja Lumu (1743-1782), Sultan Ibrahim Shah (1782-1826) and Sultan Muhammad Shah (1826-1857) – as no images of them exist.
“There are not even paintings of them, and it’s hard to believe there were no artists in that era.
“The Sultans back then probably did not believe in having images of themselves, unlike Western royalty.
“That is why we do not know whether they wore crowns and, if they did, what the headgear looked like,” Munasor explained.
However, it is believed that the first two Sultans used a gold crown known as the Mahkota Leleng, which was later dismantled by the third Ruler, Sultan Muhammad Shah, on the advice of a cleric who said that Muslim men should not wear gold.
Munasor said that by the time the fourth Ruler, Sultan Sir Abdul Samad (1857-1898), ascended the throne, photography had already been invented.
Photographs of the Sultan show him wearing a tengkolok (traditional fabric headgear) rather than a crown.
“When the fifth Ruler, Sultan Sir Ala’eddin, ascended the throne, it was the height of the colonial era and British influence was strong.”
This was also when a crown was commissioned for Sultan Sir Ala’eddin to wear at his coronation.
Initially, the crown took the form of a turban adorned with gold and precious stones.
When the sixth Ruler, Sultan Sir Hisamuddin Alam Shah, ascended the throne, more gold ornaments set with rubies and diamonds were added to the headgear, Munasor said.
“The previous crown had ornaments only at the front of the headgear, but Sultan Sir Hisamuddin added more ornaments and had them pinned around it.
“It is the same crown worn by successive Selangor Rulers, including Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah,” he added.
The crown’s main design features a diamond-studded aigrette with nine attachments resembling a peacock’s tail feathers.
“The nine ‘feathers’ in the crown represent Selangor’s nine districts,” said Munasor.
