Bangsar
Encyclopedia
Bangsar, also Bungsar is an affluent residential suburb on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur
, lying about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south-west
of the city centre. It is part of the Lembah Pantai
parliamentary constituency. Bangsar is administered by Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur
(DBKL) unlike other townships in the Klang Valley
such as Petaling Jaya
and Subang Jaya
which have their own municipal councils. Neighbourhood residents' associations and business councils play a part in communicating with the local authority but they exercise no legal or administrative power. Malays make up the majority of the population at 61% followed by the Chinese at 24%, Indians at 15%.
. The London based Kuala Lumpur Rubber Co. Ltd. (KLR) was incorporated on 19 May 1906 and it set out to plant rubber trees
around Kuala Lumpur to capitalise on the booming rubber price brought about by the introduction of the modern motor-car
and pneumatic rubber tyres as replacement for horse-drawn carriage
s in the United States. Among KLR's first board members were a Mr Edouard Bunge
and Alfred Grisar, a Frenchman. The two men's names were contracted to create the name Bunge-Grisar rubber estate or Bungsar Estate.
The Bungsar Estate was owned by its plantation
firm Socfin, before it was developed into a residential area. Bangsar Park
was the first area to be developed for housing in Kuala Lumpur in 1969. From there Socfin began selling its land to private buyers and from then on, Bangsar began experiencing rapid development.
During the 1950s several companies housed their staff and families in Bangsar due to its convenient location. The Malayan Railway (now Keretapi Tanah Melayu
) utilized the Off Jalan Bangsar area because the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station
and depot is less than three kilometres away in Brickfields
. The National Electricity Board (now Tenaga Nasional Berhad
) housed their staff in Bukit Bangsar since its headquarters is in Pantai Hills. Staff quarters are still found and used in Bangsar today.
Among the earliest government building here is Bangsar Hospital (European Hospital) built in the early 1900s. Towards the end of 1965, an eight floor building for the Public Health College costing a million ringgit was built in Bukit Bangsar. In 1966, the Health Inspectors Training School and the Nurses Training School were transferred to the new premise in Bangsar. In 1967, the Institute for Public Health was officially inaugurated and eventually expanded to its present form.
During the May 13 Riots
in 1969 many shops owned by local Chinese in Bangsar were burnt. Unsuspecting road users passing Bangsar on their way to Petaling Jaya were ambushed leaving Jalan Bangsar littered with burnt-out cars and motorcycles.
Eng Lian Enterprise Sdn Bhd developed the Bangsar Baru neighbourhood, comprising some 1,125 houses and a thriving business community in 1974. The 1970s saw Bangsar recover into a housing suburb catering to the baby boomers settling in Kuala Lumpur. As their children grew up and formed a large part of the city's youth, Bangsar became a sought-after place for the trendy during the 1980s. Among companies that contributed to the demographic development of Bangsar include Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad
and Lever Brothers
.
At 3°7′51"N 101°40′10"E, Bangsar lies respectively to the north and south of the neighbouring areas of Pantai Dalam
and Damansara
, and 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south-west of Kuala Lumpur city centre
.
Bangsar is bounded by Jalan Bangsar
and Jalan Pantai Baharu
to the south, Universiti Malaya to the west, Jalan Damansara
(Sprint Expressway
and Bukit Damansara
) to the north and Bukit Persekutuan
to the east. It has the following neighbourhoods or housing estates: Bangsar Utama, Bukit Bangsar, Bangsar Park
, Bukit Bandaraya, Taman SA, Bangsar Baru, Lucky Garden, Pantai Hills, and the areas off Jalan Bangsar. Jalan Maarof
is Bangsar's main thoroughfare, dividing Bangsar into two main areas: east and west. On the east side lies Taman SA, Bangsar Park, Bukit Bangsar, Bangsar Utama and one-half of Bukit Bandaraya. The remainder of the other neighbourhoods lie on the west.
Bangsar is rather flat at the southern neighbourhoods of Bangsar Utama, Bangsar Park and the Off Jalan Bangsar area. This makes Jalan Bangsar in the south prone to flood
ing during heavy downpours. The terrain progressively rises towards the north up Bangsar Baru, before making a steep drop in elevation after Bukit Bandaraya.
railway track
and rubber estate workers. Starting with a community of mostly Indian civil servants
, comprising teachers, firemen
, telecommunications officers and the police
, Bangsar grew to include young professionals of various races including Malays, Chinese
, Indian and expatriates, bringing its population to some 40,000 people by 2005.
Typically Malaysian, Bangsar has a wide array of cuisine. Indian Muslim Mamak stall
s, south Indian banana leaf
restaurants and Malay warung
s are easily found. They are usually cheap, although prices in Bangsar are higher than average. Roadside hawkers usually open in the evenings and close late at night. There are many 24-hour Mamak and banana leaf restaurants. It is usually acceptable for one to patronize these joints and order only drinks, except during busy hours. Chinese kopitiam and seafood restaurants meanwhile are a little harder to find outside Lucky Garden.
There is also a hawker center in Bangsar Baru, sometimes referred to as Bangsar Mamak, at the former Jolly Green Giant. Roadside stalls serving drinks, local cakes, burgers, hot dogs and cut fruit are found on many street corners. Ice cream, pastry, satay
, rojak
and milk is also sold on motorcycles and vans.
The Telawi area in Bangsar Baru is sometimes known as "the strip". It has often been compared to Singapore's Holland Village
. "The strip" can be skirted on foot in about 15 minutes. A large pasar malam
, or night market, each Sunday lends the Bangsar Baru a colourful flavour. There is also a daily wet market in Lucky Garden. Another lesser known pasar malam is held in Bukit Bangsar on Wednesdays.
Recent additions include One Bangsar (a string of new restaurants in Jalan Ara, a hillside street near the Telawi area), Bangsar Village and a remodelled Bangsar Shopping Centre.
Silverfish, a high brow independent bookshop at Jalan Telawi 3 focuses on literature, philosophy, religion and Malaysiana.
Bangsar has three primary schools, which are Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Bandaraya, Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Pantai
and Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan (T) Jalan Bangsar (a Tamil school). Secondary schools here are Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bangsar and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bukit Bandaraya
. University Malaya (UM) is five minutes from Bangsar. Also in the vicinity is the Maktab Perguruan Raja Muda (Raja Muda Teachers' College) and the Maktab Perguruan Bahasa (Language Teaching College).
courts as well as squash
, tennis
and basketball
. There are several parks and playgrounds scattered around, namely those at Jalan Bangkung, Jalan Rumpai, Jalan Terasek 7, Jalan Tempinis 5 and Jalan Kurau.
The Kilat Stadium is in Tenaga Nasional's grounds. The Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium is near Jalan Pantai Baharu, next to Universiti Malaya. It was the venue for the hockey events during the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games
in 1998.
community.
Sri Ramalingaeswarar temple, located near the junction of Lorong Maarof and Jalan Bangsar, serves the Hindu
devotees. There is also a Jain temple and Indian Muslim surau located in Bangsar Park
.
Bangsar Gospel Centre (originally an offshoot of Jalan Imbi Chapel, in the Christian Brethren tradition) operates from one of the shophouses along Jalan Telawi Tiga. Bangsar Lutheran Church was restarted in 2000, and convenes in a house along Jalan Abdullah. The St Peter's Anglican Church is at Jalan Tempinis Kiri 1 near Lorong Riong, and there is another church located in Bukit Bandaraya near the primary school.
Bangsar has grown rapidly in recent years, but has paid a price in terms of traffic jams and a shortage of parking places. Developments in neighbouring Bukit Damansara
and Mid Valley Megamall
have caused increased traffic to pass through Bangsar, especially along Jalan Maarof
.
New shops and attractions are sprouting up in Bangsar, but many do not survive long, especially food and entertainment outlets. Other long-standing outlets have been very successful, opening up a second branch in Bangsar itself. Examples are Alexis and La Bodega, Coffee Bean, and McDonald's which can be found on Jalan Telawi and also Bangsar Shopping Centre.
via the Federal Highway or the Sprint Highway. The New Pantai Expressway
begins at Jalan Bangsar
and passes through Jalan Pantai Baharu
, Pantai Dalam
, Jalan Kuchai Lama
, Jalan Klang Lama
, Bandar Sunway
and terminates at Subang Jaya
. The Sprint Expressway
, at the northern end of Jalan Maarof
connects to Bukit Damansara
, Jalan Duta
, Sri Hartamas
, the New Klang Valley Expressway
, the Damansara-Puchong Expressway
and several suburbs in Petaling Jaya
.
The Bangsar LRT station
on Rapid KL
's Kelana Jaya Line
is located on Jalan Bangsar. Abdullah Hukum, Kerinchi and Universiti LRT stations are also located nearby. Bangsar is a five minute drive from KL Sentral, a major transportation hub in neighbouring Brickfields
.
Bus services running through Bangsar are as follows.
Many other Rapid KL buses that head towards the city centre and Selangor suburbs also ply Jalan Bangsar.
First Coach runs bus services from Lengkok Abdullah (near Bangsar LRT and Jalan Bangsar 7-Eleven) to Singapore's Novena Square (near Novena MRT Station
).
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, lying about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south-west
Boxing the compass
Boxing the compass is the action of naming all thirty-two points of the compass in clockwise order. Such names are formed by the initials of the cardinal directions and their intermediate ordinal directions, and are very handy to refer to a heading in a general or colloquial fashion, without...
of the city centre. It is part of the Lembah Pantai
Lembah Pantai
Lembah Pantai is a parliamentary constituency in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Constituencies adjacent to Lembah Pantai are Seputeh, Segambut and Bukit Bintang....
parliamentary constituency. Bangsar is administered by Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur
Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur City Hall is the local authority charged with the administration of Kuala Lumpur. It is an agency under the Federal Territories Ministry of Malaysia....
(DBKL) unlike other townships in the Klang Valley
Klang Valley
Klang Valley is an area in Malaysia comprising Kuala Lumpur and its suburbs, and adjoining cities and towns in the state of Selangor. An alternative reference to this would be Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan Area or Greater Kuala Lumpur. It is geographically delineated by Titiwangsa Mountains to the...
such as Petaling Jaya
Petaling Jaya
Petaling Jaya is a Malaysian city originally developed as a satellite township for Kuala Lumpur comprising mostly residential and some industrial areas. It is located in the Petaling district of Selangor with an area of approximately 97.2 km². On 20 June 2006, Petaling Jaya was granted a...
and Subang Jaya
Subang Jaya
Subang Jaya is a suburban city in the Klang Valley, Selangor, Malaysia. It comprises the southern third of the district of Petaling, and is home to a third of the district population of 1.78 million. Subang Jaya comprises , Bandar Sunway, UEP Subang Jaya, Putra Heights and Batu Tiga...
which have their own municipal councils. Neighbourhood residents' associations and business councils play a part in communicating with the local authority but they exercise no legal or administrative power. Malays make up the majority of the population at 61% followed by the Chinese at 24%, Indians at 15%.
History
In the year 1906, Malaya was still under British administrationBritish Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
. The London based Kuala Lumpur Rubber Co. Ltd. (KLR) was incorporated on 19 May 1906 and it set out to plant rubber trees
Para rubber tree
Hevea brasiliensis, the Pará rubber tree, often simply called rubber tree, is a tree belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae, and the most economically important member of the genus Hevea...
around Kuala Lumpur to capitalise on the booming rubber price brought about by the introduction of the modern motor-car
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
and pneumatic rubber tyres as replacement for horse-drawn carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
s in the United States. Among KLR's first board members were a Mr Edouard Bunge
Bunge Limited
Bunge Limited is a Bermudan food conglomerate with its headquarters in White Plains, New York. As well as being a leading global soybean exporter it is also involved in food processing, grain trading, and fertilizer...
and Alfred Grisar, a Frenchman. The two men's names were contracted to create the name Bunge-Grisar rubber estate or Bungsar Estate.
The Bungsar Estate was owned by its plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
firm Socfin, before it was developed into a residential area. Bangsar Park
Bangsar Park
Bangsar Park was the first residential area to be developed within the area which is now known as Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is a much sought after residential and commercial address in the Klang Valley....
was the first area to be developed for housing in Kuala Lumpur in 1969. From there Socfin began selling its land to private buyers and from then on, Bangsar began experiencing rapid development.
During the 1950s several companies housed their staff and families in Bangsar due to its convenient location. The Malayan Railway (now Keretapi Tanah Melayu
Keretapi Tanah Melayu
Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad or Malayan Railways Limited is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. The railway system dates back to the British colonial era, when it was first built to transport tin...
) utilized the Off Jalan Bangsar area because the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station
Kuala Lumpur Railway Station
Kuala Lumpur Railway Station is a train station located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Completed in 1910 to replace an older station on the same site, the station was Kuala Lumpur's railway hub in the city for the Federated Malay States Railways and Malayan Railway , before Kuala Lumpur Sentral...
and depot is less than three kilometres away in Brickfields
Brickfields
Brickfields is a small to medium-sized town and residential neighbourhood located just outside central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is known as Kuala Lumpur's Little India due to the high percentage of Indian residents and businesses.- History :In 1881, a flood swept through Kuala Lumpur following...
. The National Electricity Board (now Tenaga Nasional Berhad
Tenaga Nasional
Tenaga Nasional Berhad is the largest Electric utility company in Malaysia and also the largest power company in Southeast Asia with MYR 69.8 billion worth of assets. It serves over seven million customers throughout Peninsular Malaysia and also the eastern state of Sabah through Sabah Electricity...
) housed their staff in Bukit Bangsar since its headquarters is in Pantai Hills. Staff quarters are still found and used in Bangsar today.
Among the earliest government building here is Bangsar Hospital (European Hospital) built in the early 1900s. Towards the end of 1965, an eight floor building for the Public Health College costing a million ringgit was built in Bukit Bangsar. In 1966, the Health Inspectors Training School and the Nurses Training School were transferred to the new premise in Bangsar. In 1967, the Institute for Public Health was officially inaugurated and eventually expanded to its present form.
During the May 13 Riots
May 13 Incident
The 13 May Incident is a term for the Sino-Malay sectarian violences in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia, which began on 13 May 1969...
in 1969 many shops owned by local Chinese in Bangsar were burnt. Unsuspecting road users passing Bangsar on their way to Petaling Jaya were ambushed leaving Jalan Bangsar littered with burnt-out cars and motorcycles.
Eng Lian Enterprise Sdn Bhd developed the Bangsar Baru neighbourhood, comprising some 1,125 houses and a thriving business community in 1974. The 1970s saw Bangsar recover into a housing suburb catering to the baby boomers settling in Kuala Lumpur. As their children grew up and formed a large part of the city's youth, Bangsar became a sought-after place for the trendy during the 1980s. Among companies that contributed to the demographic development of Bangsar include Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad
TV3 (Malaysia)
Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad or TV3 began broadcasting on 1 June 1984 as Malaysia’s first commercial television station. It is part of Media Prima Berhad group of companies. It now transmits opened broadcasting business private 24-hours a day, 7 days a week since 1 January 2010...
and Lever Brothers
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
.
Geography
Pantai Dalam
Pantai Dalam is a residential area located south-west of Kuala Lumpur, under the parliamentary constituency of Lembah Pantai. Represented in Dewan Rakyat by Parti Keadilan Rakyat , Nurul Izzah Anwar...
and Damansara
Damansara
Damansara may refer to:*Damansara, Selangor - a subdistrict of Petaling of Selangor.*Damansara, Kuala Lumpur*Damansara River* Kota Damansara of Petaling Jaya city - a constituency and community in Sungai Buloh subdistrict of Petaling District...
, and 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south-west of Kuala Lumpur city centre
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
.
Bangsar is bounded by Jalan Bangsar
Jalan Bangsar
Jalan Bangsar is a major road in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.-Construction of the Jalan Travers-Bangsar flyover junctions:The Jalan Travers-Bangsar junctions has been upgraded into flyover junctions. Construction began on early 2010 and was completed in mid 2010...
and Jalan Pantai Baharu
Jalan Pantai Baharu
Jalan Pantai Baharu is a major roads in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.-List of junctions:...
to the south, Universiti Malaya to the west, Jalan Damansara
Jalan Damansara
Jalan Damansara is a major road in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is also a pioneer roads of the Damansara-Puchong Expressway and Damansara Link of the Sprint Expressway.-List of interchange/junctions:...
(Sprint Expressway
Sprint Expressway
Sprint Expressway is the main expressway network in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The of expressway is divided into three sections. This sections included the Kerinchi Link, Damansara Link and Penchala Link...
and Bukit Damansara
Bukit Damansara
Bukit Damansara or Damansara Heights is a western suburb in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, located less than 5 kilometres from the city centre. It is a much sought-after residential and commercial address in the Klang Valley...
) to the north and Bukit Persekutuan
Bukit Persekutuan
Federal Hill is a low-density and affluent residential area in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This residential area was developed during the British colonial era....
to the east. It has the following neighbourhoods or housing estates: Bangsar Utama, Bukit Bangsar, Bangsar Park
Bangsar Park
Bangsar Park was the first residential area to be developed within the area which is now known as Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is a much sought after residential and commercial address in the Klang Valley....
, Bukit Bandaraya, Taman SA, Bangsar Baru, Lucky Garden, Pantai Hills, and the areas off Jalan Bangsar. Jalan Maarof
Jalan Maarof
Jalan Maarof is a major road in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.-List of junctions:...
is Bangsar's main thoroughfare, dividing Bangsar into two main areas: east and west. On the east side lies Taman SA, Bangsar Park, Bukit Bangsar, Bangsar Utama and one-half of Bukit Bandaraya. The remainder of the other neighbourhoods lie on the west.
Bangsar is rather flat at the southern neighbourhoods of Bangsar Utama, Bangsar Park and the Off Jalan Bangsar area. This makes Jalan Bangsar in the south prone to flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ing during heavy downpours. The terrain progressively rises towards the north up Bangsar Baru, before making a steep drop in elevation after Bukit Bandaraya.
Demographics
Its earliest settlers were railway workers living next to the KL-KlangKlang
Klang , formerly known as Kelang, is the royal city and former capital of the state of Selangor, Malaysia. It is located within the Klang District in Klang Valley. It is located about 32 km to the west of Kuala Lumpur and 6 km east of Port Klang...
railway track
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
and rubber estate workers. Starting with a community of mostly Indian civil servants
Civil Service in Malaysia
The civil service in Malaysia is pivotal around Article 132 of the Constitution of Malaysia which stipulates that the public service shall consists of:* the General Public Service of the Federation* the State Public Services* the Joint Public Services...
, comprising teachers, firemen
Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department
The Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department , popularly known as Bomba, is the fire and rescue services agency in Malaysia. The Malay term 'Bomba' is borrowed from the Portuguese word bombeiros which carries the same meaning.- History :...
, telecommunications officers and the police
Royal Malaysian Police
The Royal Malaysia Police is a part of the security forces structure in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organization with responsibilities ranging from traffic control to intelligence gathering. Its headquarters is located at Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur. The police force is led by an...
, Bangsar grew to include young professionals of various races including Malays, Chinese
Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese is a Malaysian of Chinese origin. Most are descendants of Chinese who arrived between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Within Malaysia, they are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" in all languages. The term Chinese Malaysian is also sometimes used to refer to...
, Indian and expatriates, bringing its population to some 40,000 people by 2005.
Food
Mamak stall
A mamak stall, is a food establishment which serves mamak food. In Malaysia, the term mamak refers to Tamil Muslims, who generally own and operate them. Although traditionally operated from roadside stalls, some modern mamak stall operators have expanded their businesses into restaurant or...
s, south Indian banana leaf
Banana leaf
Banana leaf is the leaf of the Banana plant. It is used for various functions, such as for decorative elements, wrappings, plate mat, and employed in cooking method....
restaurants and Malay warung
Warung
A warung is a type of small family-owned business — often a casual shop, usually café — in Indonesia and Malaysia...
s are easily found. They are usually cheap, although prices in Bangsar are higher than average. Roadside hawkers usually open in the evenings and close late at night. There are many 24-hour Mamak and banana leaf restaurants. It is usually acceptable for one to patronize these joints and order only drinks, except during busy hours. Chinese kopitiam and seafood restaurants meanwhile are a little harder to find outside Lucky Garden.
There is also a hawker center in Bangsar Baru, sometimes referred to as Bangsar Mamak, at the former Jolly Green Giant. Roadside stalls serving drinks, local cakes, burgers, hot dogs and cut fruit are found on many street corners. Ice cream, pastry, satay
Satay
Satay , or sate, is a dish of marinated, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. Satay may consist of diced or sliced chicken, goat, mutton, beef, pork, fish, other meats, or tofu; the more authentic version uses skewers from the midrib of the coconut palm frond, although bamboo skewers are...
, rojak
Rojak
Rojak or Rujak is a traditional fruit and vegetable salad dish commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore...
and milk is also sold on motorcycles and vans.
The Telawi area in Bangsar Baru is sometimes known as "the strip". It has often been compared to Singapore's Holland Village
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. "The strip" can be skirted on foot in about 15 minutes. A large pasar malam
Pasar malam
Pasar malam is a Malay and Indonesian word that literally means "night market", "pasar" being related to "bazaar" in Persian. A pasar malam is a street market in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore that opens in the evening, usually in residential neighbourhoods.It brings together a collection of...
, or night market, each Sunday lends the Bangsar Baru a colourful flavour. There is also a daily wet market in Lucky Garden. Another lesser known pasar malam is held in Bukit Bangsar on Wednesdays.
Recent additions include One Bangsar (a string of new restaurants in Jalan Ara, a hillside street near the Telawi area), Bangsar Village and a remodelled Bangsar Shopping Centre.
Art and theater
The Actors Studio was located at Bangsar Shopping Centre but has moved to Lot 10. There are several art galleries scattered around Bangsar, especially in Bangsar Baru. Roving buskers, usually performing covers, may be found in Bangsar Baru.Silverfish, a high brow independent bookshop at Jalan Telawi 3 focuses on literature, philosophy, religion and Malaysiana.
Medical
Bangsar's first hospital was built in the early 1900s and was known then as the Bangsar Hospital or European Hospital. After numerous upgrades and expansion exercises over the years it is now known as the Institute for Public Health (Institut Kesihatan Umum). The privately owned Pantai Medical Centre was built in 1974 on Jalan Bukit Pantai. The medical centre houses the Pantai Institute of Health Sciences and Nursing. University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), a public hospital is situated within a five-minute drive through Petaling Jaya. There are also many private clinics spread throughout Bangsar to meet the health needs of the residents.Education
Kindergartens and nurseries are usually operated out of houses. There are many tuition centres for school-aged students, operating out of shoplots and homes. Drama, ballet and music schools also operate in a similar manner.Bangsar has three primary schools, which are Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Bandaraya, Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Pantai
Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Pantai
Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Pantai used to be known as Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Lucky is a co-educational primary school located in Jalan Chenderai, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia....
and Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan (T) Jalan Bangsar (a Tamil school). Secondary schools here are Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bangsar and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bukit Bandaraya
SMK Bukit Bandaraya
Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bukit Bandaraya is a government-aided co-educational secondary school located in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.- School song :Kami berikrar penuh setia,Mencapai cita,Patuh pada ajaran guru,Bapa juga ibu,...
. University Malaya (UM) is five minutes from Bangsar. Also in the vicinity is the Maktab Perguruan Raja Muda (Raja Muda Teachers' College) and the Maktab Perguruan Bahasa (Language Teaching College).
Sports and recreation
The Bangsar Sports Complex has a swimming pool, a multipurpose hall with badmintonBadminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
courts as well as squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. There are several parks and playgrounds scattered around, namely those at Jalan Bangkung, Jalan Rumpai, Jalan Terasek 7, Jalan Tempinis 5 and Jalan Kurau.
The Kilat Stadium is in Tenaga Nasional's grounds. The Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium is near Jalan Pantai Baharu, next to Universiti Malaya. It was the venue for the hockey events during the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
in 1998.
Religion
Bangsar is a diverse community with a Muslim mosque and suraus, Christian churches, Hindu temples and other places of worship. Saidina Abu Bakar As Siddiq Mosque was built in 1980 is located next to Bangsar Village Shopping Centre and serves the local MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
community.
Sri Ramalingaeswarar temple, located near the junction of Lorong Maarof and Jalan Bangsar, serves the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
devotees. There is also a Jain temple and Indian Muslim surau located in Bangsar Park
Bangsar Park
Bangsar Park was the first residential area to be developed within the area which is now known as Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is a much sought after residential and commercial address in the Klang Valley....
.
Bangsar Gospel Centre (originally an offshoot of Jalan Imbi Chapel, in the Christian Brethren tradition) operates from one of the shophouses along Jalan Telawi Tiga. Bangsar Lutheran Church was restarted in 2000, and convenes in a house along Jalan Abdullah. The St Peter's Anglican Church is at Jalan Tempinis Kiri 1 near Lorong Riong, and there is another church located in Bukit Bandaraya near the primary school.
Development
Bukit Damansara
Bukit Damansara or Damansara Heights is a western suburb in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, located less than 5 kilometres from the city centre. It is a much sought-after residential and commercial address in the Klang Valley...
and Mid Valley Megamall
Mid Valley Megamall
Mid Valley Megamall is a complex comprising a shopping mall, an office tower block, 30 signature offices and 2 hotels located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was opened in November 1999. The mall has 4.5 million square feet of total floor area, out of which 1.7 million square feet is leasable...
have caused increased traffic to pass through Bangsar, especially along Jalan Maarof
Jalan Maarof
Jalan Maarof is a major road in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.-List of junctions:...
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New shops and attractions are sprouting up in Bangsar, but many do not survive long, especially food and entertainment outlets. Other long-standing outlets have been very successful, opening up a second branch in Bangsar itself. Examples are Alexis and La Bodega, Coffee Bean, and McDonald's which can be found on Jalan Telawi and also Bangsar Shopping Centre.
Transport
Bangsar is four kilometres from the Kuala Lumpur city centre. It is also connected to the city of Petaling JayaPetaling Jaya
Petaling Jaya is a Malaysian city originally developed as a satellite township for Kuala Lumpur comprising mostly residential and some industrial areas. It is located in the Petaling district of Selangor with an area of approximately 97.2 km². On 20 June 2006, Petaling Jaya was granted a...
via the Federal Highway or the Sprint Highway. The New Pantai Expressway
New Pantai Expressway
New Pantai Expressway, ' is a major expressway in the Klang Valley region of Malaysia. The expressway has provided an easier access to Kuala Lumpur from Subang Jaya and Bandar Sunway to avoid the traffic jams on the Federal Highway route during rush hour...
begins at Jalan Bangsar
Jalan Bangsar
Jalan Bangsar is a major road in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.-Construction of the Jalan Travers-Bangsar flyover junctions:The Jalan Travers-Bangsar junctions has been upgraded into flyover junctions. Construction began on early 2010 and was completed in mid 2010...
and passes through Jalan Pantai Baharu
Jalan Pantai Baharu
Jalan Pantai Baharu is a major roads in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.-List of junctions:...
, Pantai Dalam
Pantai Dalam
Pantai Dalam is a residential area located south-west of Kuala Lumpur, under the parliamentary constituency of Lembah Pantai. Represented in Dewan Rakyat by Parti Keadilan Rakyat , Nurul Izzah Anwar...
, Jalan Kuchai Lama
Jalan Kuchai Lama
Jalan Kuchai Lama is a major road in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This road is maintained by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall or Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur .-Upgrading of the Kuchai Lama junctions into diamond interchanges:...
, Jalan Klang Lama
Jalan Klang Lama
Jalan Klang Lama or Old Klang Road, Federal route is the oldest and the first major road in Klang Valley, Malaysia before the Federal Highway was built in 1965. The road was constructed by the British Federated Malay States government from 1905 to 1908.-List of Interchanges and Junctions:-See...
, Bandar Sunway
Bandar Sunway
Bandar Sunway is a township in between Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. It is situated in the district of Petaling, Selangor. It is a 5 to 10 minutes drive to Subang Jaya, UEP Subang Jaya, Puchong and other suburbs and townships of Petaling Jaya...
and terminates at Subang Jaya
Subang Jaya
Subang Jaya is a suburban city in the Klang Valley, Selangor, Malaysia. It comprises the southern third of the district of Petaling, and is home to a third of the district population of 1.78 million. Subang Jaya comprises , Bandar Sunway, UEP Subang Jaya, Putra Heights and Batu Tiga...
. The Sprint Expressway
Sprint Expressway
Sprint Expressway is the main expressway network in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The of expressway is divided into three sections. This sections included the Kerinchi Link, Damansara Link and Penchala Link...
, at the northern end of Jalan Maarof
Jalan Maarof
Jalan Maarof is a major road in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.-List of junctions:...
connects to Bukit Damansara
Bukit Damansara
Bukit Damansara or Damansara Heights is a western suburb in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, located less than 5 kilometres from the city centre. It is a much sought-after residential and commercial address in the Klang Valley...
, Jalan Duta
Jalan Duta
Jalan Duta is a major road in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia which spans from the adjoining roundabout of Jalan Kuching, which the high flyover would take traffic straight into Jalan Ipoh and ends at the Parliament where it adjoins Jalan Mahameru...
, Sri Hartamas
Sri Hartamas
Sri Hartamas or Taman Sri Hartamas is an affluent residential township in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Sri Hartamas is located in Kuala Lumpur, under jurisdiction of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur...
, the New Klang Valley Expressway
New Klang Valley Expressway
The New Klang Valley Expressway, or the NKVE refers to a stretch of the North-South Expressway in Peninsular Malaysia which starts from Bukit Raja near Klang town, and ends at Jalan Duta in Kuala Lumpur. It is a busiest expressway in Klang Valley during rush hour from/to Kuala Lumpur...
, the Damansara-Puchong Expressway
Damansara-Puchong Expressway
The Damansara–Puchong Expressway or Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong, LDP, is a major expressway in Klang Valley, Selangor in Malaysia. It links major townships in Damansara and Puchong and decreases travel time between them...
and several suburbs in Petaling Jaya
Petaling Jaya
Petaling Jaya is a Malaysian city originally developed as a satellite township for Kuala Lumpur comprising mostly residential and some industrial areas. It is located in the Petaling district of Selangor with an area of approximately 97.2 km². On 20 June 2006, Petaling Jaya was granted a...
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Bangsar LRT station
Bangsar LRT station is the Kelana Jaya Line stop for Bangsar.It is an elevated station located above Jalan Bangsar. Although it is located at Jalan Bangsar, it is located at quite a distance from most parts of Bangsar, namely Bangsar Baru....
on Rapid KL
Rapid KL
RapidKL, short for Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn Bhd, is a government-owned company which was formed in 2004 as part of the restructuring of the public transport system in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital....
's Kelana Jaya Line
Kelana Jaya Line
The Kelana Jaya Line is a medium-capacity rail transport system and one of the three rail transit lines in the Kuala Lumpur Rail Transit System operated by RapidKL Rail network...
is located on Jalan Bangsar. Abdullah Hukum, Kerinchi and Universiti LRT stations are also located nearby. Bangsar is a five minute drive from KL Sentral, a major transportation hub in neighbouring Brickfields
Brickfields
Brickfields is a small to medium-sized town and residential neighbourhood located just outside central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is known as Kuala Lumpur's Little India due to the high percentage of Indian residents and businesses.- History :In 1881, a flood swept through Kuala Lumpur following...
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Bus services running through Bangsar are as follows.
- 621: (previously 5) KL Sentral - Bangsar LRT - Mid Valley - Lucky Garden - Bangsar Baru - Bukit Bandaraya - Bangsar Shopping Centre - Bangsar Park - Bangsar LRT - KL Sentral (loop service)
- 634: (previously 908B) Bangsar LRT - Bangsar Park - Bangsar Shopping Centre - Pusat Bandar Damansara - Jalan Semantan - Pusat Bandar Damansara - Bangsar Shopping Centre - Bangsar Park - Bangsar LRT (loop service)
- 309: (operated by Triton Commuter) KL Sentral - Jalan Semantan - Mont Kiara - Pusat Bandar Damansara - Bangsar Shopping Centre - Bangsar Park - Bangsar LRT - KL Sentral (loop service)
Many other Rapid KL buses that head towards the city centre and Selangor suburbs also ply Jalan Bangsar.
- 516: KL Sentral - Bangsar LRT (outward journey only) - Jalan Syed Putra - Mid Valley
- 517: KL Sentral - Bangsar LRT - New Pantai Expressway - Jalan Pantai Dalam
- 518: KL Sentral - Bangsar LRT - New Pantai Expressway - Jalan 1/112 - Jalan Pantai Murni (Hillpark) - Jalan Pantai Permai - Rumah Panjang
- T64: KL Sentral - Bangsar LRT - Jalan Pantai Baharu - Federal Highway - Persiaran Tengku Ampuan - Persiaran Selangor - Persiaran Sultan - Persiaran Jubli Perak - Persiaran Perusahaan - Persiaran Budiman (Seri Muda)
- T80: KL Sentral - Bangsar LRT - Jalan Pantai Baharu - Federal Highway - UiTM Shah Alam
- T81: KL Sentral - Bangsar LRT - Jalan Pantai Baharu - Federal Highway - Jalan Lapangan Terbang Subang - Jalan Bukit Badak (Subang Baru)
First Coach runs bus services from Lengkok Abdullah (near Bangsar LRT and Jalan Bangsar 7-Eleven) to Singapore's Novena Square (near Novena MRT Station
Novena MRT Station
Novena MRT Station is located on the North South Line on the Mass Rapid Transit system. It is an underground station which opened on 12 December 1987....
).