12 Photos of a the legendary lovers’ island Kemaro

The river island is steeped in local legend and has an ancient and romantic backstory.

1 Agustus 2016 12:07

Brilio.net/en - Kemaro Island sits in a small delta of South Sumatras Musi River. It takes just 15 minutes to get there from the provincial capital Palembang, which is the setting of a love story between Prince Tan Bun An of China and Princess Siti Fatimah of the Kingdom of Sriwijaya.

Sriwijaya, which has its heyday from the 8th to the 12th century, was a wealthy city-state. Sitis father, the king, had waited for someone rich enough to deserve his daughters hand in marriage, and Tan Bun An fit the bill.

The legendary romance began when Tan Bun An, who came to Sumatra on business. saw the king's daughter Siti Fatimah and fell in love, as did she. The pair then went to China seeking permission from Tan Bun An's parents to get married.

After some time in China, they returned to Palembang, bringing with them seven jars to commemorate their wedding. Arriving at the mouth of the Musi River, Tan Bun An opened one but found only salted cabbage inside.

Furious, he threw the jars into the water. But one slipped and fell on the deck, shattering and revealing its contents gold.

Ashamed at his rash actions, Tan Bun An jumped into the river to go after the jars, but his bodyguards did not follow him. As he struggled, Siti Fatimah jumped into the river to help him. They both drowned together.

Before diving in Siti told her guards: "If you see a pile of soil on the river bank, and that means it is my grave."

In the following days, a pile of soil appeared, growing larger and larger until it formed an island. There, the Siti and Tans tomb lies today, along with a Chinese Buddhist temple, Hok Tjing Rio.

Kemaro gets its name from a word for drought, because the island is never submerged by the tide

In death, the water cant drown them.

1. From across the river