The legendary Urduja

TAWALISI is the name of an upscale Makati City antique shop run by Kit Roxas that I frequent more for conversation than acquisition. Aside from window-shopping and talking shop (learning a lot on identification of excavated porcelain and art circle gossip), I go for the humble merienda of hot pan de sal and coco jam, which are always served on nice china and plate silver. The most common food, as my sister will tell you, is transformed by the table service. Once, when I was confined in the hospital, my chef sister brought along a picnic basket of home cooking. It was simple dried fish and fried rice that she swore tasted better with Christofle flatware. Historians are often faced with a similar situation as the above, sources that are a mix of reality and fiction. The true measure of a historian's work is knowing which is which.

Despite many afternoons spent in the Tawalisi antique shop, I never asked the owner how she chose that name. Most antique shops are named after the owners; E.M.J., or V.M., Jo-Liza or Terry's. Some have Filipiniana references like Likha, Katutubo, or Sinagtala. Some sport the foreign: Gallery Deus, Via Antica, or Ad Astra. Others don't even have a name! Tawalisi is believed to have been the land of Princess Urduja. The source is the 14th-century traveler Ibn Batuta of India, who left us with a travel account, part of which reads:

"Thereafter, we reached the land of Tawalisi, it being their king who is called by that name. It is a vast country and its king is a rival of the king of China. He possesses many junks, with which he makes war on the Chinese until they come to terms with him on certain conditions. The inhabitants of this land are idolaters; they are handsome men and closely resemble the Turks in figure. Their skin is commonly of a reddish hue, and they are brave and warlike. Their women ride on horseback and are skillful archers, and fight exactly like men.

"We put in at one of their ports, at the town of Kaylukari, which is among their finest and largest cities. It was formerly the residence of the son of their king. When we anchored in the port, their troops came down and the captain went ashore to them, taking with him a present for the prince. When he enquired of them about him, however, they told him that the prince's father had appointed him governor of another district and had made his daughter, whose name was Urduja, governor of this city.

"The day following our arrival at the port of Kaylukari, this princess summoned the ship's captain and clerk, the merchants and pilots, the commander of the foot soldiers and the commanders of the archers to a banquet she had prepared for them, according to her custom. The captain wished me to go with them, but I declined because it is not lawful to eat the food of infidels. When they came into her presence she asked them if there was anyone else of their company who had not come. The captain replied, 'There is only one man left, a bakshi (that is, a qadi, in their tongue), and he will not eat your food.'
Thereupon she said, 'Call him,' so her guards came [to me] along with the captain's party and said, 'Comply with the princess' wish.' I went to her then, and found her sitting in full state. On my saluting her she replied to me in Turkish, and asked me from what land I had come. I said to her, 'From the land of India.' 'From the pepper country?' she asked, and I replied 'Yes!' She questioned me about this land and events there, and when I had answered, she said, 'I must positively make an expedition to it and take possession of it for myself, for the quantity of its riches and its troops attracts me.' I replied, 'Do so.' She ordered me to be given robes, two elephant loads of rice, two buffaloes, 10 sheep, four pounds of syrup, and four martaban (that is, large jars) filled with ginger, pepper, lemons and mangoes, all of them salted, these being among the things prepared for sea voyages.

"The captain told that this princess has in her army women, female servants and slave-girls who fight like men. She goes out in person with her troops, male and female, makes raids on her enemies, takes part in the fighting and engages in single combat with picked warriors. He told me too that during a fierce engagement with certain of her enemies, many of her troops were killed and they were all but defeated, when she dashed forward and broke through the ranks until she reached the king against whom she was fighting and dealt him a mortal blow with her lance. He fell dead and his army took to flight. She brought back his head on the point of a spear, and his relatives redeemed it from her for a large sum of money. When she returned to her father he gave her this town, which had formerly been in her brother's hands. The captain told me also that she is sought in marriage by various princes, but she says 'I shall marry none but him who fights and overcomes me in single combat,' and they avoid fighting with her for fear of the disgrace [that would attach to them] if she overcame them."

Ibn Batuta then sailed 17 days from Tawalisi to China. Was Tawalisi part of the Philippines? Who said so? Is Princess Urduja for real? This is an interesting story that will be concluded on Wednesday.

Comments are welcome at aocampo@ateneo.edu