Seri Menanti is the royal capital of the state of Negeri Sembilan

Negeri Sembilan

Negeri Sembilan, one of the 13 states that constitutes Malaysia, lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia, just south of Kuala Lumpur and borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the south....

, Malaysia. Situated in the Kuala Pilah

Kuala Pilah

Kuala Pilah is a town and district in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Commonly called Pilah by the mainly Malay Minangkabau inhabitants, it is also the name of a district. It is an old valley town with many of the pre-war Chinese shophouses still fronting the main streets surrounded by traditional style...

 district, it houses the seat of the head of state or Yamtuan Besar

Yamtuan Besar

Yamtuan Besar, also known as Yang di-Pertuan Besar, is the royal title of the ruler of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan. The ruler of Negeri Sembilan is selected by a council of ruling chiefs in the state, or the datuk-datuk undang. This royal practice has been followed since 1773...

, the local equivalent of the
Sultan

Sultan

Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...

. The royal palace is known as "Istana Besar".

A tiny town, other landmarks include the old wooden palace known as Istana Lama

Seri Menanti Old Palace

The Istana Seri Menanti, also known as the Istana Lama Seri Menanti, is one of the famous landmarks in Negeri Sembilan. It is a timber palace constructed between 1902 to 1908. Today, the palace has been turned into a royal museum. This four-storey building is special because it was constructed...

, built by Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhammad Shah ibni Almarhum Tuanku Antah (reigned 1888–1933) without the use of a single nail. Seri Menanti Royal Mausoleum

Seri Menanti Royal Mausoleum

Seri Menanti Royal Mausoleum is a Negeri Sembilan royal mausoleum located in the royal town of Seri Menanti, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. This mausoleum is located next to the Tuanku Munawir Royal Mosque.-Yang di-Pertuan Besar graves:...

, Tuanku Munawir Royal Mosque (Masjid Diraja Tuanku Munawir) and the Seri Menanti Resort are also in Seri Menanti. Among the villages in the area are Kampung Lapuk, Kampung Sakai, Kampung Buyau, Kampung Beruang, and Kampung Gunung Pasir.

The current Tunku Besar Seri Menanti is Tunku Ali Redhauddin, the eldest son of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir. The title of Tunku Besar Seri Menanti is the most senior of the Putera Yang Empat (Four Princes). This is only the third time in 120 years that the Tunku Besar Seri Menanti has been appointed.

History

The Minangkabaus were moved to the state of Negeri Sembilan in the 14th century and began to control local politics. Around the 15th century

History of Malaysia

Malaysia is a country in South East Asia whose strategic sea-lane position brought trade and foreign influences that fundamentally influenced its history. Hindu and Buddhist cultures imported from India dominated early Malaysian history...

 the people of Minangkabau from Rembau

Rembau

Rembau is a town within a district that shares the same name that is located in the state of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. With a population of 40,000 people the district is a stronghold of the matrilineal system known as adat perpatih, a customary practice inherited from the Minangkabaus, of...

 explored the current Seri Menanti area. Among them was Datuk Puteh of Pagar Ruyung. According to local literature, the explorers found three stalks of fresh green paddy

Rice

Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

 and thus Datuk Puteh christened the area Padi Menanti (literally awaiting paddy). Over time the name changed to Seri Menanti. It is believed that the word "seri" means paddy in ancient Javanese language

Javanese language

Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...

.

Raja Melewar

Raja Melewar

Raja Melewar was the first Yamtuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. He was a prince from the state of Minangkabau in Sumatra, Indonesia.-History:...

 arrived in Negeri Sembilan in 1773, installed as king and was proclaimed as the first Yamtuan Besar

Yamtuan Besar

Yamtuan Besar, also known as Yang di-Pertuan Besar, is the royal title of the ruler of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan. The ruler of Negeri Sembilan is selected by a council of ruling chiefs in the state, or the datuk-datuk undang. This royal practice has been followed since 1773...

in Kampung Penajis in Rembau

Rembau

Rembau is a town within a district that shares the same name that is located in the state of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. With a population of 40,000 people the district is a stronghold of the matrilineal system known as adat perpatih, a customary practice inherited from the Minangkabaus, of...

. He later moved his palace to Seri Menanti which remains the royal town of Negeri Sembilan till today.

Heritage

In February 2009, the Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal announced that the Istana Lama Seri Menanti

Seri Menanti Old Palace

The Istana Seri Menanti, also known as the Istana Lama Seri Menanti, is one of the famous landmarks in Negeri Sembilan. It is a timber palace constructed between 1902 to 1908. Today, the palace has been turned into a royal museum. This four-storey building is special because it was constructed...

 is among ten historical structures in Malaysia gazetted as a national heritage, along with Victoria Institution

Victoria Institution

Victoria Institution is a premier secondary school for boys and one of the oldest schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The school is widely known as V.I. and a student of Victoria Institution bears the name Victorian....

 in Kuala Lumpur

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...

 and The Stadthuys

Stadthuys

The Stadthuys , also known as the Red Square, is a historical structure situated in the heart of Malacca Town, the administrative capital of the state of Malacca, Malaysia...

 in Malacca

Malacca

Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...

.