An interesting tidbit - correct me if I am wrong Green - the keris blade the Agong is holding is made from 9 different royal keris taken from each of the 9 states with Sultans. They were smelted together and used to form the State Keris the Agong is holding.
I remember coming across a book by a British colonial administrator detailing the campaign to put down a rebellion in Kelantan in at the turn of the 19th-20th century. The rebellion was against the Sultan and the Sultan had British help to put it down. There was a picture of a detachment of loyal local Malay militia loyal to the Sultan with their keris in their sarong for all to see. Usually in formal or peace time photos, the keris would be covered with a flap of the sarong or absent all together. Alas, I cannot remember the author's name or the title of the book. It was the days before the handy phone-camera.
|