Some 40 frontline officers from the Malacca Museums Corporation and Tourism Malaysia recently took a familiarization trip to Pulau Besar including a beach clean of the lesser known Pulau Nangka nearby.

Being the last major fresh water-bearing islands south of the Straits of Malacca, the islands were an important source of fresh-water for ancient trading ships plying the monsoon winds prior to the 15th Century.

The day trip was to equip the officers with firsthand knowledge of the islands while helping rid the beach of trash including, demolishing a makeshift wooden hut constructed on Pulau Nangka by treasure hunters.

Some of the earliest mention of the island is linked to Malaysia¡¦s celebrated legend of the Princess of Gunung Ledang or Mount Ophir. The fairy princess was said to have accidentally pricked her husband with a poisoned needle while sailing off the coast here and later used Pulau Besar as a stepping stone to fly off to Gunung Ledang.

The islands are also associated with China¡¦s famous 15th Century Treasure Fleet commandeered by Admiral Zheng He.

The admiral used Malacca as his forward base for his epic voyages with part of his fleet said to have anchored off the island.

What is known of the islands past is shrouded in mystery.

The only vestiges left are several ancient wells, shrines and graves that which have become popular attractions for Indian Muslims from all over the country and as far as Singapore and India.

Among the more well known is located on Pulau Besar such as the Sultan Sheikh Ariffin mausoleum, the Perigi Nenek Kebayan (a fairy godmother figure), Graves of the Seven Sisters and the Yunos Cave.

Sultan Ariffin, considered to be the 18th descendant of Prophet Muhamad, was said to have preached Islam here in the 15th Century after receiving a vision while visiting the prophet¡¦s grave in Medina.

Every Thursday night right till the weekend, scores of Indian Muslims gather on the island for prayers. There are also stories of treasures hidden on Pulau Besar and Pulau Nangka. The fabled treasures have yet to be found with locals believing that a powerful genie or spiritual keeper is closely guarding them.

Lending credence to this are the discovery of Chinese porcelain shards and 13th Century Majapahit Empire era brass gong, in particular on Pulau Besar.

The lure of untold riches of buried treasure has led to treasure hunters mounting expeditions to Pulau Besar and Pulau Nangka in recent times. There have been some who had resorted to more desperate measures such as blowing up several boulders in search of hidden caves beneath the islands.

Interestingly, prior to this, Pulau Nangka, covering less than 20ha, belonged to a wealthy local Chinese family but was bought back by the state via the Malacca Museums Corporation in the mid 1990s.

According to a 62-year-local local seaman known as Pak Saiman, divers had risked their lives in the treacherous waters looking for treasure and a fabled mystical underwater cave filled with gold.

However, the locals revere Pulau Besar and are sometimes reluctant to talk about the mystical side of the island nor the incidents of deaths involving visitors.

The most well known incident was the sinking of an overloaded boat ferrying 33 passangers in heavy weather in October 1997 resulting in the loss of 15 lives.

Two naval ships with some 40 divers were called in to locate the sunken vessel following the incident but failed to locate it.

The latest incident was the death of two young brothers in January 2009. The two boys had accompanied their parents on a pilgrimage to one of the scared shrines here.

They were said to have wandered off on their own and later drowned in a disused pond near one of the shrines.

Today, there are plans to revive the islands defunct resort and to establish a museum of the island.

Also in the pipelines is a RM700mil private project to develop Malaysia¡¦s first seaport with an independent oil storage tank facility for the shipping industry on the island.

Despite the misgivings and mystery, Pulau Besar and Pulau Nangka holds potential and offers picnickers, anglers and adventure seekers a chance to soak in the sun in an idyllic surrounding.