HIKAYAT INDRA BANGSAWAN. 61 
‘ 
Now one night Shah Pri dreamt he met Indra Bangsawan on 
the top of a high mountain. Next day he sets out to find him, 
taking a magic stone which dipped in water renders it efficacious 
to eure folk sick unto death. Disguised as a shaikh he enters Anta 
Beranta Permana and after curing Indra Bangsawan hands him 
magic water to cure his bride. In gratitude Indra Bangsawan be- 
stows on Shah Pri his own magic stone that can create a kingdom. 
Accompanied by the nine princes, they set out and visit Dewi Ratna 
Sari and the hero’s parents. Indra Bangsawan presents the magic 
bamboo instrument to his father who abdicates in his favour. All 
live happily ever afterwards. 
Princes being born, one along with an arrow the other with 
a sword, find many parallels in Malay and Indian literature 
(Winstedt’s “ Literature of Malay Folk-lore,” p. 30). The incident 
of a land destroyed by a roc (garoda) occurs also in the Hikayat 
Maalim Dewa (ed. Winstedt and Sturrock, pp. 9 and 94-97 and 
Snouck Hurgronje’s “ The Achehnese,” vol. Il, p. 127.) 
In his paper on the Romance of the Rose in Malay hterature 
Cig winiw tl en Virdee, DLV aid, 5 and 6) Protessor 
van Ronkel has pointed put how several episodes, the search for 
the magic bamboo and for a medicine, and the incident of the 
branding, occur also in the Hikayat Gul Bakawali, a Malay 
Romance from the Hindustani version of 1702 A.D. by Nihal 
Chand (Garein de Tassy, Histoire de la littérature hindowie et 
hindoustanie, tome II, p. 468) of which there is also a Ceylon folk 
version (Parker’s “ Village Folk-Tales of Ceylon,” vol. I, No. 22, 
pp. 173-177). Again in the Hikayat Pékar Mads (van Ronkel’s 
Catalogue of Malay MSS. at. Batavia, pp. 167-171) occur the 
episodes of branding and of a quest for medicine for a prince. 
There are many parallels in Indian folk-lore for incidents in th» ° 
Hikayat Indra Bangsawan. In Wnowles’ ‘“ Folk-Tales of IXash- 
mir” (2nd ed., p. 365) a prince disguised as a gardener is married 
by a princess. Her relations jealous at this arrange a hunt and 
leave the hero only a vicious mare to ride. He reached the jungle 
first, shot jackal, bear and leopard, and cut off the tail of the first, 
the nose of the second and the ear of the third, which he produced 
when the others who had shot no game exhibited the three corpses 
as evidence of their prowess (Cf. an episode in the Hang Tuah, 
eae ssa. bp. lki)) Ini Mary Stokes’ Imdian Marry. 
Tales” (p. 41) a prince born with a removable monkey-skin has 
it burnt by his wife and retains his human form; (p. 130) a simi- 
lar hunt is arranged, the prince disguised as a labourer brands the 
backs of the six princes, who had found no game and begged a meal 
from him, and afterwards exposes them. 
R. A. Soc., No. 85, 1922. 
