Merong Mahawangsa and the Demigod

The Kedah Annals (Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa) tells the tale of the founding of the Kingdom of Kedah with mentioned of Langkawi island, as a hiding place of the Prince of Rum and Princess of China. Raja Merong Mahawangsa became the first ruler of Kedah.
The annals tell about Merong Mahawangsa, an ambassador of the Kingdom of Rum (believed to be part of the Byzantine empire). who escorted the Prince of Rum to China to be married to the Princess of China. The geruda (a demigod), who felt that the union should not take place, kidnapped the Chinese princess and her maid and hid them in a cave believed to Gua Cerita, in Langkawi. He then attacked the fleet carrying the prince. In the battle, the prince was swept ashore on Langkawi and united with the Chinese princess. Meanwhile, the Merong Mahawangsa landed with some surviving crew on the shores of Kedah. Believing that the prince had died, he decided to settle there and stared the settlement which grew to become the Kingdom of Kedah. Raja Merong Mahawangsa became the first ruler of Kedah.