Greeting dear readers. Today, I decide to make a posting using pictures taken in Teluk Intan, the birth-place of my dad and home to my forefathers (on the staff side) for many generations.
Actually this story is a continuation of my last posting here
Taiping to Kuala Kangsar... A dangerous look at Malaysian history? After all, it is part of a long trip I made covering places in Pahang, Kelantan, Kedah, Perak and Selangor more than 2 months ago.
I've already made some pictorial stories about Kuala Kangsar in my other blogspots
SENI LAMA MELAYU (MALAY OLDEN ART) and
CATATAN SI MERAH SILU. After visiting the royal town of Perak, I went to to the state capital Ipoh where I spent two nights at a junior's place without taking any significant pictures. So let us just go straight to Teluk Intan ya... And let me be very brief as the time is almost 6.30pm and I still haven't done my Asar (late afternoon prayers). Here it is...
note: I did my Asar, broke my fast (the day was 19th of Ramadhan) and also did Maghrib at the Kampung Baru mosque just 50 metres across the road. So here I am (at 7.50pm) editting this article and adding some more material... Just in case if you wonder why it is now not so brief.
Have a look as it concerns a portion of unwritten history. For the record, the mosque stood on a land given as wakaf (for public use) by my forefathers... Beside it lies the private graveyard of the family.
This is the Perak river seen from the mouth of smaller river not far from the mosque... Despite its tranquility, the place hold plenty of history.
There... Nice view of Perak river isn't it? Who would have thought wars used to be waged in this area... There was a time when British colonialists came with their soldiers and ravaged this area (Batak Rabit used to be one of Perak's capital or administration centre), especially after their first resident to Perak, J.W.W. Birch was murdered by Perak nobles. There was another time when royal princes used to bring their own factions and fought over what... A legendary beautiful lady who I'm quite proud to say was my great great grandmother! :]
A rather cute house at the end of a long corner in Batak Rabit. This house at the end of a row of wooden shophouse belongs to a relative... I often lodge here when visiting Teluk Intan... This area including the mosque shown used to be part of the fort and administration area for the 26th Sultan of Perak, Sultan Abdullah Muhammad Shah (ruled Perak 1874-1877).
An abandoned house somewhere nearer to town. It is situated right in front of an old abandoned palace.. Have a look at Istana Raja Muda (The crown prince's palace), Teluk Intan, Perak
A secondary school nearby... Oh, now I know where I took the picture, at Jalan Raja Muda Musa named after a long deceased crown-prince (or is regent the right word?) of Perak.. For the record, among the recent (as in after British intervention started with the signing of the Pangkor Treaty of 1874) royalties close to the throne, Raja Muda Musa is the one closest to the late Sultan Abdullah who was exiled to the Seychelles. The other royals were mostly members from a different branch of the Perak Sultanate.
Houses on the way to Kampung Terengganu... At the villlage lies the only tomb of a Perak Sultan in Teluk Intan, the tomb of the 22nd Sultan, Sultan Abdullah Muhammad Shah I (ruled 1851-1857).
Bear in mind though this is not the Sultan Abdullah who got exiled. It's just they have the same name, that's all. The one who got exiled was allowed to return just before he died. The Sultan was buried in the royal mausoleum in Bukit Chandan, Kuala Kangsar.
A big tree which I find rather attractive in a mysterious way at Jalan Mak Intan, a road named after an almost legendary female figure. For information, the name Teluk Intan is also named after the same lady... Or so they say! The road lies on the way out northwards from Kampung Terengganu.
I don't know much about the lady except that they say she came from a noble family. One thing's for sure, she must be quite exceptional to have a place named after her!
North-west Teluk Intan seen from the leaning tower. Seen far is the only hill within the province of Kampung Gajah some 30 kilometres away, an area which contains Pasir Salak, the place where J.W.W. Birch was murdered 1875...
Notice the Perak river behind the buildings. This is a part where the big river, longest on the west coast of the Malay Peninsular first curved northwards before making a u-turn, marking the north boundary of the town of Teluk Intan.
Have a look at
Menara Condong (leaning tower of) Teluk Intan for others views from and of the tower...
A look to the west where the Perak river extends to its mouth some 30-40km further towards the town of Bagan Datoh... At the river mouth lies a legendary area known as Beting Beras Basah, a quite long sand bank visible during low-tide with sand that feels and looks like rice! Hence the name Beting (sand bank) Beras (rice) Basah (wet). Get it?
The legend goes that Beting Beras Basah was the place the first Sultan of Perak arrived before getting installed in 1528. He came on a ship from Sumatera but the ship got stuck at the river mouth... That's it until he throws away his crown into the waters. And so they say that's why Perak Sultan's down wear any crown! Hmm...
Come to think of it, they also say that's why Perak's first in-line to the throne is called Raja Muda (the young king or regent), not Tengku Mahkota (crown prince) like in some states... Which makes one wonder, how come the Laksamana (royal admiral) of Perak is called Raja Mahkota (literally translated as crown king)? Is it because the Laksamana originated from the crown prince of Aceh who got sidelined from the throne? For the record, the mosque shown at the start of this article is built on land given away by the Laksamana family. Enough...
And lastly and old
madrasah or Islamic religious school sandwiched in-between modern shophouses occupied by Chinese right smack in the town centre. Here is a building which reminds me, once upon a time, the Malay Archipelago truly belong to the Malays... Until the Western colonialists came and change everything including the real meaning of the Malays which used to be a mixture of races bounded by some common factors, mainly professing the religion of Islam, practising the Malay custom and speaking in Malay.
Once upon a time, anyone including people from China and Westerners from Eastern Europe can come here and become Malay! As long as they meet the criterias said, criterias which could be learned and embraced in due time, God willing. That's all ya. Cheers! :]
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