Art, Symbolism, and Sovereignty: Elephants as Living Regalia in the Malay Court of Perak
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24191/jca.v2i2.7090Keywords:
Royal Regalia, Malay Kingship, Perak Sultanate, Southeast Asia, Political Symbolism, Living Regalia, Ritual Performance, elephantsAbstract
This essay looks at the elephant as animate regalia in Southeast Asian royal culture, specifically the Sultanate of Perak. While regalia are generally synonymous with inanimate objects such as crowns, swords, and thrones, elephants, particularly white or ceremonially enhanced elephants, were mobile, sacred manifestations of ruling authority. Drawing on chronicles, oral tradition, and court practice, the essay illustrates how elephants such as Kulup Chandan, Larut, and Chapang Pileh were deployed in ritual, diplomacy, and symbolic articulations of kingship. Through interdisciplinary approaches, the study brings elephants back in as agents of royal authority, extending from Malay-Muslim myth, art, and political theology to wider Southeast Asia
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