Any visitor to Kuah, the main town of Langkawi, would have heard of the Legend of the Two Giants. It is a story that shines a different light on Kuah, which means gravy in Malay, and its other curious-sounding locales like Kampung Ayer Hangat (Hotspring Village) and Kampung Belanga Pecah (Broken Crockery Village).
Legend has it that Langkawi was once home to two great giants - Mat Chincang and Mat Raya. They were equally both strong and powerful giants, one with a handsome son and the other a charming daughter.
It was long awaited and all expected when the two children fell in love with each other. They got engaged and planned a grand marriage to celebrate their families' union.
On the wedding day, an argument broke out between Mat Chincang and Mat Raya. The two giants' anger erupted into an explosive feud that no one could stop. The wedding took a halt. The giants were grabbing things and throwing them at each other.
A steaming pot of gravy was first to topple, covering a village into what we now know as the town of Kuah.
To counter the hot gravy, a boiling pot of water was spilled onto the ground, burning the name Ayer Hangat onto a nearby village.
The two gold wedding rings (cincin) were flung and landed on the northwest corner of the island, now known as Tanjung Cincin.
A broken jar was the last straw. Pieces of the prized jar were scattered all over another village that got its moniker of Kampung Belanga Pecah.
Enraged by the two giants, the highly respected village elder Mat Sawar lost his patience. The brave man stood in between the two giants and talked sense into them. Mat Chincang and Mat Raya listened with their heads down low, swallowing their pride. They realised their folly as they calmed down, but hot water had spilled and prized possessions broken.
Ashamed and regretful, the two giants decided to make amends. They turned themselves into Langkawi’s two iconic mountains - Gunung Machincang and Gunung Raya. Worried about the safety of the villagers, Mat Sawar the peacemaker lodged himself between the two giants and turned himself into Bukit Sawar. The little hill can be seen sitting between two great mountains, an eternal peacekeeper in Pulau Langkawi.