femme fatale

Princess Urduja was a 14th century woman ruler of the dynastic Kingdom of Tawalisi in Pangasinan, a vast area lying by the shores of the Lingayen Gulf and the China Sea. Pangasinan was an important kingdom then, and the sovereign was equal to the King of China. Known far and wide, Princess Urduja was famous for leading a retinue of woman warriors who were skilled fighters and equestrians. They developed a high art of warfare to preserve their political state. These womenfolk took to the battlefields because the male population was depleted by the series of wars which came with the rise and prominence of the Shri-Visayan Empire in the sixth to the 13th centuries. Strong and masculine physique, they were called kinalakian or Amazons.

Ibn Batuta, a voyager from Morocco was impressed by Princess Urduja’s military exploits and her ambition of leading an expedition to India, known to her as the "Pepper Country." Despite this drive for wealth and power, the Princess showed Ibn Batuta hospitality and warmth by preparing a banquet and generously provided them with gifts that included robes, rice, two buffaloes, and four large jars of ginger, pepper, lemons, and mangoes, all salted, in preparation for Ibn Battuta's sea-voyage to China.

She was quoted saying that she will marry no one but HIM who fights and defeats her in single combat. Other warriors avoided fighting with her for fear of being disgraced.

For a time, feminists tried to revive the Urduja story but were discouraged to learn that Batuta's account of the voyage to Tawalisi was labeled as either an intrigue or a fantasy. Scholars, considering the story absurd, declared Urduja a myth.

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Today is International Women’s Day!

and the story makes a lot of sense (no, i don't think its absurd at all.) to a lot of women out there. you might not heard more of her, but i think she's super! who would have thought that there was a filipina (esp in those times) who had shown much courage and boldness in the person of Urduja? i guess they were not all born as Maria Claras, aye? heheh :p

Princess Urduja is a measured of heroism. she fought her own battle even without a man, and never forgetting her strength as a woman - nurturing, selfless and tender in spirit that no man can falter.

go woman!

DISCLAIMER: i first heard the story of Princess Urduja when I was younger as told by my cousin, but the story above was gathered from the different websites i found in google.