SOVEREIGN SYMBOLS OF DAULAT, MAHKOTA AND KERIS IN HIKAYAT HANG TUAH

Malay Sultanate is an important identity for the Malay traditional community. Obedient and loyal to the king is a must in their daily life. The perception of Malay traditional community loyalty towards their king or sultan can be seen in such of works of literature in the form of an epic like Hikayat Hang Tuah, Sejarah Melayu, and others. Most of the epics or hikayats elaborate more on the throne and the devotion of the people to the Malay rulers. Even though there were incidents of injustice done by the Malay rulers, the perception of the supremacy of the king in Malay community cannot be separated from the practice of their living. This study focuses on the analysis of sovereign symbols; daulat, mahkota and keris can be seen as icon, symbol and index of traditional Malay society in their perception and serve the king who became chief of administrative and religious leaders as contained in the text of Hikayat Hang Tuah.