Princess Urduja
Pangasinan Warrior Princess
(ca. 1304 - c. 1368 or 1377 AD)
Princess Urduja is a colorful historical Filipino figure that has been a subject of contentions and so many debates and discussions about her existence. Many scholars and historians considered her as a fictitious personality and her story a myth, but others say that she may be a true heroine who existed and lived elsewhere. She would have been a great heroine from Pangasinan.
Urduja is thought to be a legendary warrior princess the one being referred to in the journals of Maghrebi traveler, explorer and scholar Ibn Battuta, but scholars and historians alike doubt her existence and considered her as a fictitious figure or someone who lived elsewhere and not in Pangasinan especially historians Henry Yule and William Henry Scott.
Princess Urduja is famous for being a brave and fierce warrior princess leading other women warriors who were skilled fighters and equestrian called Kinalakihan or Amazons. She always defends her kingdom of Tawalisi (in the supposed to be modern-day Pangasinan) in warfare.
The Indian name Urduja turns out to be Sanskrit in origin and a variation of the name "Udaya" which means arise or rising sun or the name "Urja" which means energy, life force or breath.
The only account that exists which tells about this legendary princess is from the journals of one of the greatest traveler and explorer in history the Maghrebi Ibn Battuta.
On Battuta's accounts, Urduja was described as a tall and beautiful woman with bronze skin, straight black hair and deep eyes and adorned with bejeweled ornaments and was a fierce warrior in the battlefield. The princess was a valiant warrior, skilled in swordsmanship and horseback riding whose penchant is a duel combat. Ibn Battuta was even impressed that she can speak the Turkish language aside from the fact that she is fluent in Arabic and provided the Maghrebi traveler with generous gifts for his trip to China and even prepared a banquet for him.
Sources:
https://www.facebook.com/PMPonFB/photos/a.251529181653283/293299540809580/?type=3
https://www.aswangproject.com/princess-urduja/
https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Enduring-Princess-Urduja-Hoax
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urduja
https://medium.com/@AsinBolo/existence-of-princess-urduja-in-pangasinan-still-a-folklore-or-already-a-truth-400fd9701cb3
https://survivalarts.org/articles/urduha
http://snml.weebly.com/princess-urduja.html
https://journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/rws/article/download/3044/2863/ (ADOBE FILE see DOWNLOADS)
https://www.hellapinay.com/article/2016/12/8/princess-urduja-legendary-warrior-princess
