Patani was an old sultanate located in
the Southern Thailand covering today's provinces of Pattani, Yala and
Narathiwat, east of the Malay
Peninsula. It was probably one of Sri Vijayan empire's conquest and one of
the first Malay states to convert to Islam. During
the 15th century, Patani benefits from the Portuguese occupation
of Malacca and becomes a major trading center for the Chinese and all S-E
Asia. The Sultanate height is from 1580 to 1620, it then declined when Batavia
became
the new center of trade for the region.
The Patani Keris, called Tajong, differs slightly from its Northern variation, the Cho-Teng or Coteng (from the Songkhla province). Both share the Hulu Pekaka (kingfisher hilt), this name is used because of the long beak, however the hilt does not represent a bird, its more like a demonic figure with a long nose and bulgy eyes, it resembles a wayang character. Here is a summary of the differences between a Tajong and a Coteng:
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