Awang Hitam: The Forgotten Guardian of the Malay Spiritual World

AI generated artistic impression of Awang Hitam

Today, Malays in Malaysia are Muslims. However, the Islamization of the Malays did not happen overnight. It was a gradual process that unfolded over several centuries, probably beginning around the 13th century, and gained strong momentum during the rise of several sultanates such as Aceh Sultanate, Pasai Sultanate, Patani Sultanate, Demak Sultanate and Malacca Sultanate. This period came after the fall of the Srivijaya empire and the later Majapahit empire. The Srivijaya Empire was known for its patronage of Mahayana Buddhism, while Majapahit supported the Saiva Hindu tradition, also known as Saivism.

Before the influence of Mahayana or Saiva traditions, the Malays would have had their own indigenous religion. It likely involved the worship of nature spirits and ancestors. Over time, elements of this early belief system may have blended with the Buddhist and Hindu practices that arrived later. Both Saivism and Mahayana Buddhism are deeply rooted in Tantric teachings and share many similarities in deities and symbolism. Although they differ in philosophy, the deities they venerate are often the same.

Mahakala from Candi Singhasari, Indonesia.
Image Credit: Singhasari Museum

During the height of Srivijaya and Majapahit, the worship of Tantric deities was very common. People revered not only major deities such as Siva, Vishnu, Ganesa, Durga, Avalokitesvara, and Vairocana but also attendant deities of Siva like Nandisvara and Mahakala. Nandisvara is often depicted as white, while Mahakala is black. 

The name Mahakala literally means “Great Time” or “Great Black.” He is known as one of Siva’s loyal attendants (Rudra/Siva Gana) and serves as a guardian, either as a dvarapala (door protector) or kshetrapala (guardian of sacred grounds). Both figures are mentioned in the Saiva scriptures known as the Saivagamas.

In Tamil folk tradition, Nandisvara is known as Madan or Madasamy, the bull deity, while Mahakala is revered as Periya Karuppar, the great black deity. They continue to function as guardian deities in rural temples and are deeply respected by the people.

When we look back at the pre-Islamic Malay world, it is not surprising to find similar names and figures in their local spiritual practices. The white bull of Nandisvara may have survived in the Malay imagination as Lembu Putih, while Mahakala could have continued in another form known as Awang Hitam.

AI generated artistic impression of  Awang Hitam 

In Malay bomoh (shaman) practice, Awang Hitam is described as a powerful spiritual helper or guardian spirit, often appearing as a dark, shadowy male figure who assists the bomoh in rituals of healing, protection, and sometimes sorcery. 

The word Awang has several meanings. It can be used as a respectful male title, similar to “Mr,” or to refer to a male child or "fellow". The word hitam means black. Therefore, the name Awang Hitam, meaning “Black Fellow,” reflects both his mysterious nature and his connection to the unseen world, which closely resembles the Mahakala archetype.

Awang Hitam is believed to originate from ancestral spirits, ancient warriors, or elemental beings. He is also called as Hitam Seri Penakluk meaning "The Illustrious Black Conqueror". 

There is also another guardian known as Datuk Panglima Hitam meaning "Black Commander". He is venerated by the Mah Meri tribe of Selangor. A special prayer will be conducted for him on the first day of their annual Hari Moyang (ancestor's day).

Celebration ceremony of Datuk Panglima Hitam. 
Image credit: zafigo

Awang Hitam embodies strength, loyalty, and spiritual authority. The bomoh may invoke him through trance or chanting to guard against evil, retrieve lost souls, or empower charms. However, his power must be treated with respect, as he can protect or harm depending on how he is approached. In Malay mysticism, Awang Hitam represents the delicate balance between light and darkness that every spiritual practitioner must understand.

From the Islamic perspective, invoking Awang Hitam or other spirits is considered syirik, meaning an act of associating partners with God, and is strictly forbidden. The Muslims also consider such guardians as Jinns.

As a result, these practices have largely faded today. However, in earlier centuries, they were still known among traditional healers. The British scholar R. O. Winstedt documented these traditions in his book Shaman, Saiva and Sufi: A Study of the Evolution of Malay Magic (1924), offering a glimpse into a time when Hindu, Buddhist, and indigenous Malay beliefs once blended before Islam became the defining faith of the Malay people.

In the Malay pantheon there is a mysterious black Awang, addressed by actors as king of the earth, who "walks along the veins of the earth and sleeps at its gate." Apparently, therefore, he is identified with Siva, and this identification, if correct, suggests a high place for this forgotten figure of some early cult. But in a Proto−Malay charm to propitiate the aforesaid spirits of the sea, Warrior Awang figures as their servant, who climbs the mast of ship in distress, a young man with "hairy chest, red eyes, black skin and frizzy hair." A Kelantan charm, also, depicts him as a haunter of forest undergrowth, "a span in height, with bald temples, frizzy hair, red eyes, white teeth, broad chest, and feet and hands disfigured with skin disease." This is a good picture of a Negrito, member of the oldest race in Malaysia, but it may be a posthumous description as applied to this god or godling of a primitive cult, who rides the storm and can cause ague and disease.

R. O. Winstedt

Do you have any personal reflections or opinions on the tales of Awang Hitam? Perhaps you know of local variants of the stories, or have additional historical or cultural context that could shed more light on this figure?

Please share your thoughts and any information you may have in the comments section.