In Pahang Malay folklore, the Seri Gumum Dragon (in Jawi script ݢوموم) is a legendary giant serpent locally called Nāga and commonly described as taking the form of an Asian dragon, that inhabit the Chini Lake in Pahang, Malaysia.
[3][4] The most famous legends of Seri Gumum tell of a Jakun tribe who came to occupy the area where the lake is now.
Suddenly, out of the forest came an old lady leaning on a walking stick, admonishing them of the fact that they didn't seek the permission of the spirits.
[7][8] In another version of the legend, it tells the origin of Seri Gumum who was a cursed princess that was sealed away in a Forbidden Garden built on the Lake.
One day, as the Nāga were swimming out into the South China Sea, Seri Gumum realized that she had forgotten her sash, so she swam back to the lake to get it.
Unfortunately, the lady Nāga swam too close to an island, Bukit Dato' and her sash got caught on a stone.
[10][11] Over the decades, there have been occasional reports of sightings, but as in the case of the Loch Ness Monster, these have never been scientifically proven.
Explorer Stewart Wavell visited Chini Lake in the 1960s, and was told of the ancient practice of human sacrifice to the Nāga around a great pillar of rock that rose up out of the waters.
[13] In May 1959, a British Engineer Arthur Potter, his clerk Baharuddin and two labourers named Lajan and Malik, all claimed to have seen a dragon-like creature at the lake.