SELANGOR - BESTARI JAYA & KUALA SELANGOR

Bestari Jaya, formerly known as Batang Berjuntai, is a town and a mukim located in the Kuala Selangor District of Selangor, approximately 40 km northwest of Kuala Lumpur. 

In 2007, the town's name was changed from Batang Berjuntai to Bestari Jaya, despite some local resistance. The change was made because some authorities felt that "Batang Berjuntai" had phallic connotations (with "Batang" being Malay slang for "penis" and "Berjuntai" translating directly to "dangle").

My fondest memories in Bestari Jaya include working with the Malaysian Heart Foundation to conduct health screening programs in various villages.

COMMUNITY PROGRAM

KG JAYA SETIA 

BESTARI JAYA, SELANGOR

15 FEBRUARY 2014

The Community Program was recently held at the Kg. Jaya Setia Hall in Bestari Jaya, with support from the Village Head and the Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK).

Nurses from the Kuala Selangor District Health Office and the Bestari Jaya Health Clinic also assisted in the event.

A total of 55 villagers participated in health tests conducted over the day. 

The distance from Kuala Lumpur to Bestari Jaya is 60 km, and the travel time is approximately 56 minutes. 

During the program, we stayed at the Al-Hanah Homestay in Kg. Jaya Setia, Bestari Jaya, a popular choice for families visiting students at UNISEL or attending weddings in the area. 

COMMUNITY PROGRAM

KG. BESTARI JAYA

SELANGOR

3 MAY 2014

The Heart Disease Awareness Program was held in Kampung Bestari Jaya, Bestari Jaya, Selangor, with the collaboration of Mr. Hanis bin Jaafar, Penghulu Mukim Bestari Jaya. Also assisting in this program were nurses from the Kuala Selangor District Health Office. A total of 78 villagers underwent a health screening test, which started at 9 am and continued until 1 pm.

During the program, we spent the night in Kuala Selangor due to difficulty finding accommodation in Bestari Jaya. We also took the opportunity, when we were in Kuala Selangor, to visit the historical site at Bukit Malawati, Kuala Selangor.

The distance between Bestari Jaya to Kuala Selangor is 27 km and the travel time is only 28 minutes.

Sun Inns Hotel Kuala Selangor is located at the town centre of Kuala Selangor and is only minutes of car drive to the various popular and interesting places around this serene historical town. The close proximity to all the attraction of Kuala Selangor makes Sun Inns Kuala Selangor an ideal hotel for guests who look for budget-friendly low-cost hotel accommodation around the area of Kuala Selangor.

BUKIT MALAWATI

KUALA SELANGOR

2 MAY 2014

Bukit Malawati at Kuala Selangor was the administrative center and stronghold of the Selangor Sultanate in the late 18th and early 19th century. A heavily fortified fort once stood on the summit. It was built during the reign of Sultan Ibrahim from 1782 to 1826 to fight against the Dutch. 

Selangor had been sucked into the struggle between the Dutch and the ruler of Johor and Riau. 

Kuala Selangor eventually fell to the Dutch in 1784, who reinforced the fort with cannons and renamed it Fort Altingburg after Willem Arnold Alting, the Governor of the Dutch East Indies from 1780 to 1797. 

A trip to a historic heart of Selangor,the museum housed a former British colonial official's residence, offered a deep dive into the identity of Selangor. 

Kuala Selangor lighthouse also known as Altingburg Lighthouse was built in 1907 to replace the original one constructed by the Dutch some two centuries earlier when they took over the area. Named after a Dutch East Indies Governor-General, Willem Arnold Alting from 1780 - 1797.

Used extensively during the British colonial period, the lighthouse’s beacon continues to shine and function as a guide for vessels navigating the Straits of Malacca till this day.

The Baitul Hilal Observatory tower located on top of Bukit Melawati in Kuala Selangor.Originally built by Sultan Ibrahim in the late 18th century to defend against the Dutch. It was briefly captured by the Dutch in 1784, who renamed it Fort Altingsburgh. 

This Baitul Hilal is primarily used by religious authorities in Malaysia for sighting the new moon to determine the start of holy months of Ramadan and Syawal.  

Batu Hampar (Bedrock Stone), lThis stone is steeped in local lore. It is historically associated with the early administration of the fort and, according to local legend, was used as a place for executions or as a resting stone for the Sultan.

The Selangor Royal Tombs consist of three tombs of the Sultans of Selangor, namely:

1. The first Sultan of Selangor - Sultan Salahuddin (1742-1778)

2. The second Sultan of Selangor - Sultan Ibrahim (1778-1826)

3. The third Sultan of Selangor - Sultan Mahmud (1826-1857)

This Penggawa Cannon is always wrapped in yellow cloth and is located in the tomb area of 3 Sultans of Selangor. It was found on the edge of Sungai Buluh, 12 km south of Kuala Selangor on 23 September 1966. Its original name is Petoi Boga, meaning White Princess. The Penggawa Cannon was named after the initiative of Datuk Penggawa Permatang Paduka Mahabijaya Kuala Selangor, who brought the cannon to its current location. It was once said that this cannon exploded twice by itself.

Poisoned well Bukit Malawati contains water poisoned from a mixture of latex itchy bamboo shoots. Poisoned well was used to torture traitors where they were placed inside the well with the water level reaching their chin. 

The Telaga Tujuh (seven Wells), it was originally a well with seven springs that reportedly never ran dry, even during droughts. Most of the well have since been covered up, with only two or a few remaining visible today. 

If you want to get in close contact with monkeys that don't bother you, this is the place. You can sit on a bench with some monkeys sitting next to you. I could spend hours there watching them. 

The Silvered Langurs or Silver Leaf Monkeys at Bukit Melawati is a popular tourist spot known for these tame and friendly wild monkeys. They are habituated to humans and are generally gentle and not aggressive, compared to long-tailed macaques found in other areas like the Batu Caves. 

Bukit Malawati is a home to the Silver-Leafed Monkeys and Long-Tailed Macaques. You can purchase peanuts from vendors around Bukit Malawati and feed the monkey. Silver-Leafed Monkey are generally quite gentle, visitors are advised to cautious with the Long-Tailed Macaques as they can be highly mischevious. 

For those who have the opportunity to go to Kuala Selangor, don't forget to stop by Bukit Melawati because there are many interesting views, and you can also appreciate the historical traces left by our ancestors. You can also get to know the tame lutongs (monkey) here. 

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

3/12/2024 - 12.03 p.m