Kuala Kangsar
Encyclopedia
Kuala Kangsar is the royal town of Perak
, Malaysia, located at the downstream of Kangsar River, where it flows into the Perak River
. It is the main town in the administrative district of Kuala Kangsar.
Apart from being exposed to the impending threat of invasion, the other problem was the force of monsoon seasons, which led to numerous flooding as water gushed down from the jungles above through the many tributaries. The name Kuala Kangsar is believed to be derived from 'Kuala Kurang-Sa', which literally means '100 minus one', usually interpreted as 'the 99th small tributary to flow into the Perak River'.
One flooding was so severe, it almost swept the palace away. Finally, after the Big Flood or Air Bah in 1926, it was decided to move the place further up onto the knoll where stands the current Royal Palace named Istana Iskandariah
with its Art-Deco architecture, a rare but significant piece of architectural milestone in Malaysia.
The Sultan of Perak
officially resides in Kuala Kangsar, and it has been Perak's royal seat since the 18th century. It is one of four towns that plays a role in Perak's complex succession system. It was the administrative seat of the first British Resident
in the Malay Peninsula
, James W.W. Birch, from October 1874 until he was murdered on November 2, 1875.
Kuala Kangsar is also known in Malaysian history as the site where the first Conference of Rulers
, the Durbar, was held in 1897. By the 1890s, the growth of the tin mining towns of Ipoh
and Taiping
had eclipsed Kuala Kangsar, but it remains to this day one of the most attractive of the Malay royal capitals.
The town is also the site of the first rubber tree planted in Malaysia. The person responsible was the English
botanist Henry Nicholas Ridley
. He was the one who helped Malaya
and eventually Malaysia become the largest rubber producer in the world. The tree still stands today.
The first Malaysian scout
troop was established in Kuala Kangsar. Consequently, its squad number is 001.
. Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah Bridge is made out of concrete and is located near the town while Sultan Iskandar Bridge is farther upstream and is made out of steel. Kuala Kangsar is easily accessible via the North-South Expressway and by train.
Kuala Kangsar is a relaxing town where visitors can have an enjoyable day with few worries about the daily schedules.
Points of interest are:
Ceramic products from this Royal town and the villages around here,click http://www.countryside2u.com
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
, Malaysia, located at the downstream of Kangsar River, where it flows into the Perak River
Perak River
Perak River is the second longest river in Peninsular Malaysia after Pahang River in Pahang, Malaysia. A number of towns are on the banks of the river including the royal town of Kuala Kangsar...
. It is the main town in the administrative district of Kuala Kangsar.
History
This place must have had a strange effect on Sultan Yusuf Sharifuddin Mudzaffar Shah of Perak who ruled from 1877 to 1887. Unlike many rulers who protected their royal palaces and strongholds by selecting their vantage points carefully where they could detect enemy approach from afar, the Sultan had his first royal palace built beside the riverbank. He then named it 'Istana Sri Sayong'.Apart from being exposed to the impending threat of invasion, the other problem was the force of monsoon seasons, which led to numerous flooding as water gushed down from the jungles above through the many tributaries. The name Kuala Kangsar is believed to be derived from 'Kuala Kurang-Sa', which literally means '100 minus one', usually interpreted as 'the 99th small tributary to flow into the Perak River'.
One flooding was so severe, it almost swept the palace away. Finally, after the Big Flood or Air Bah in 1926, it was decided to move the place further up onto the knoll where stands the current Royal Palace named Istana Iskandariah
Istana Iskandariah
Istana Iskandariah is the royal palace of the Perak Sultanate and the official residence of the Sultan of Perak since its completion in 1933. It is located in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, in the state of Perak, Malaysia....
with its Art-Deco architecture, a rare but significant piece of architectural milestone in Malaysia.
The Sultan of Perak
Sultan of Perak
Sultan of Perak is one of the oldest hereditary seats among the Malay states.When the Sultanate of Malacca empire fell to Portugal in 1511, Sultan Mahmud Syah I retreated to Kampar, Sumatra and died there in 1528. He left behind two princes named Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah II and Sultan Muzaffar...
officially resides in Kuala Kangsar, and it has been Perak's royal seat since the 18th century. It is one of four towns that plays a role in Perak's complex succession system. It was the administrative seat of the first British Resident
Resident (title)
A Resident, or in full Resident Minister, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of indirect rule....
in the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
, James W.W. Birch, from October 1874 until he was murdered on November 2, 1875.
Kuala Kangsar is also known in Malaysian history as the site where the first Conference of Rulers
Conference of Rulers
The Conference of Rulers in Malaysia is a council comprising the nine rulers of the Malay states, and the governors or Yang di-Pertua Negeri of the other four states...
, the Durbar, was held in 1897. By the 1890s, the growth of the tin mining towns of Ipoh
Ipoh
Ipoh is the capital city of Perak state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur on the North-South Expressway....
and Taiping
Taiping, Perak
Taiping is a town located in northern Perak, Malaysia. With a population of 191,104 , it is the second largest town in Perak after Ipoh, the state capital. Taiping took over Kuala Kangsar's role as the state capital from 1876 to 1937, but was then replaced by Ipoh...
had eclipsed Kuala Kangsar, but it remains to this day one of the most attractive of the Malay royal capitals.
The town is also the site of the first rubber tree planted in Malaysia. The person responsible was the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
botanist Henry Nicholas Ridley
Henry Nicholas Ridley
Henry Nicholas Ridley CMG , MA , FRS, FLS, F.R.H.S. was an English botanist and geologist.Born at West Harling Hall, Norfolk, England...
. He was the one who helped Malaya
British 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...
and eventually Malaysia become the largest rubber producer in the world. The tree still stands today.
The first Malaysian scout
Persekutuan Pengakap Malaysia
Persekutuan Pengakap Malaysia is an organisation for boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 17, based in Malaysia. Persekutuan Pengakap Malaysia is part of the global Scouting movement and national member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement...
troop was established in Kuala Kangsar. Consequently, its squad number is 001.
Transport
Two bridges now connect Kuala Kangsar to SayongSayong
Sayong is a small village in Perak, Malaysia. It is famous for a traditional craft known as Labu Sayong, earthenware, gourd-shaped jars for keeping drinking water cool....
. Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah Bridge is made out of concrete and is located near the town while Sultan Iskandar Bridge is farther upstream and is made out of steel. Kuala Kangsar is easily accessible via the North-South Expressway and by train.
Places of interest
Points of interest are:
- Ubudiah MosqueUbudiah MosqueMasjid Ubudiah is Perak's royal mosque, and is located in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Malaysia. It is often regarded as Malaysia's most beautiful mosque.-History:...
and the Royal MausoleumPerak royal mausoleumThe Perak royal mausoleum or Al-Ghufran Royal Cemetery is a royal mausoleum in Malaysia. It is located near Ubudiah Mosque in Kuala Kangsar.-Sultans:*Sultan Ali Al-Mukammal Inayat Shah Sultan Shahabuddin Riayat Shah... - Istana KenanganIstana KenanganThe Istana Kenangan was a royal residence in Kuala Kangsar in Perak, Malaysia.It was built in 1926 for Sultan Iskandar Shah by the Malay carpenter Enci Sepian from Bukit Mertajam, with the assistance of his sons Zainal Abidin and Ismail. The palace was previously known as the Valley Palace due to...
(Old Palace, now the Perak Royal Museum) - Istana IskandariahIstana IskandariahIstana Iskandariah is the royal palace of the Perak Sultanate and the official residence of the Sultan of Perak since its completion in 1933. It is located in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, in the state of Perak, Malaysia....
(The Royal Palace) - Hulu Palace (Istana Hulu)
- Victoria BridgeVictoria Bridge, MalaysiaVictoria Bridge is a single track railway bridge located in Karai, in the state of Perak, Malaysia. It is one of the oldest railway bridges in the country, having been constructed between December 1897 and March 1900 by the Perak State Railway as a crossing over the Perak River to serve the local...
(since 1900) - Sultan Iskandar Bridge
- Sultan Abdul Jalil Bridge
- Pavilion Square Tower
- Keris Memorial
- Bukit Chandan
- The First & Oldest Rubber tree planted in the country (near Police Headquarters)
- Madrasah Idrisiah Kuala Kangsar[MADID]
- Malay College Kuala KangsarMalay College Kuala KangsarThe Malay College Kuala Kangsar is a residential school in Malaysia. It is an all-boys and all-Malay school located in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak...
[MCKK] - Clifford Secondary School (Sekolah Menengah Clifford)
- Handicraft Development Centre, Enggor
- Mariwasa Kraftangan
- River side walk next to the Sayong Bridge
- Public swimming pool at Bukit Chandan
- Golf Course
- The morning wet market
- The Laksa stalls (Medan Selera Sungai Perak)
- Kolam Air Panas, Ara Panjang, ManongManongManong is an Ilocano term principally given to the first-born male in a Filipino nuclear family. However, it can also be used to title an older brother, older male cousin, or older male relative in an extended family. The feminine "manang" is a term given to an older sister...
- Government English Girls School ( GEGS ) [ SMK Raja Perempuan Kelsom]
Labu Sayong
A nearby village called Sayong is located on the opposite bank of the Perak River. It is the production center of the famed labu sayong - a traditional earthenware container. Small villages in the Sayong vicinity include Kepala Bendang and Kampong Bendang Kering.Ceramic products from this Royal town and the villages around here,click http://www.countryside2u.com
Members of Parliament in the district (2008 Elections)
- Tan Sri Rafidah AzizRafidah AzizTan Sri Rafidah binti Abdul Aziz is a Malaysian politician and the current Member of Parliament for the Kuala Kangsar constituency since 1986....
- Member of Parliament for the constituency of Kuala Kangsar and Former Minister of International Trade and Industry. - Dato' Seri Mohamed Nazri Tan Sri Abdul AzizMohamed Nazri Abdul AzizDato' Seri Mohamed Nazri bin Tan Sri Abdul Aziz is a Malaysian politician from the United Malays National Organisation , and is a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of parliamentary affairs. In June 2005 Nazri caused controversy when he shouted the phrase "bloody racist" 28...
- Member of Parliament for the constituency of Padang Rengas and Minister of Prime Minister Department. - Dr. Jeyakumar Devaraj - Member of Parliament for the constituency of Sungai Siput.
Foods and Restaurants
Kuala Kangsar is famous for its laksa which is available at stalls near the river.- The Gate Café
- Bistro In Town
- AFN Tom Yam
Sources and references
External links
- Named link: Kuala Kangsar in a Whirlwind