1) Origin of the name Langkawi

This island was used to be the home of eagles and it also rich with marbles. Since that eagle in the Malay word is "Helang" while marble in Sanskrit is "Kawi", so by putting these words together it reads as "Helangkawi". Hence it became Langkawi.

The origin name of Langkawi also found in Tun Mohamad Zahir's book, entitled "The Legends of Langkawi". In the book, it stated that the word "Langka" in Sanskrit means beauty and "Wi" means many. After putting these words together, it becomes Langkawi that means many beautiful islands.

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2) Legend of Mahsuri

Mahsuri is the main legend of Langkawi. It is a story of a beautiful young woman who was falsely accused of adultery and was sentenced to death. As she was dying, she cursed the island. The curse was that the island was not to prosper for seven generations to come. It is also believed that her blood is white in color and that have made people believed that she was innocent.

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