Padang Matsirat is also known as the Padang Beras Bakar (field of burnt rice) an area of historical significance. History has it that in 1821, villagers in this area deliberately torched the paddy fields here to prevent Siamese invaders from getting the rice grains for their own use. The invasion of the Siamese army is said to tie to the curse that Mahsuri (see entry for Makam Mahsuri) placed on Langkawi before she died. Although not much is there to be seen today, locals around this area maintain that to this day, every now and then, heavy rain sometimes brings traces of black grains of burnt rice to the surface.