Bandor, The Most Advanced Town in Perak in the 18th Century
Bandor town is not like the lost city of Atlantis. Once upon a time in the 18th century, Bandor was among the most advanced towns in the state of Perak. This was due to the various trading activities along the banks of the Perak River.
The glory of Bandor town is written in the
Misa Melayu
written by the late Raja Chulan during the reign of the 15th Sultan of Perak, the late Sultan Iskandar Zulqarnain. According to the
Misa Melayu
, there was an island surrounded by the Perak River and the Kinta River called Pulau Indera Sakti, and its town was called Bandar Makmur, which is now better known as Kampung Bandar or Bandor in the local dialect. During that era, the Bandor town area was among the most advanced in the state of Perak because it possessed a busy port with trading activities, rows of shops, and settlements for both local communities and foreign immigrants along the Perak River. The prosperity of Bandor town went hand-in-hand with the golden age of the state of Perak during the reign of the 15th Sultan, Sultan Iskandar Zulqarnain. Besides being a major trading area, the region was also the administrative center of Perak before it moved upstream along the Perak River to Bukit Chandan in Kuala Kangsar.
Misa Melayu written by the late Raja Chulan
During the town's golden age, many merchant ships from foreign countries came to trade here. Traders came not only from around the archipelago but also from China and even India. The port in Bandor also received ships from Arab countries and the Netherlands. Most of these traders came to collect tin ore and other natural resources from Perak. At that time, Perak had abundant natural resources such as agricultural produce, dammar resin, rattan, and others, including tin ore from Tanjung Tualang. Evidence of Middle Eastern influence reaching Perak can be seen today through the existence of
gold thread embroidery (seni tekad benang emas)
which is very popular in Perak. For your information, loyal readers of orangperak.com,
this gold thread embroidery
is believed to have been brought by the Arab community. The area around Bandor town was magnificent at that time because there were many shop and office buildings made of wood. Unlike in other countries, where most used stone for construction, it was evident that the local community at that time had the wisdom to use wood to build structures.
*illustrative image
The wooden buildings mentioned included rows of shops, houses, government offices, and so on. At that time, the Pasir Salak incident during the assassination of
J.W.W. Birch
had not yet occurred, meaning Bandor had developed even before the arrival of the British. The establishment of Bandor town was not something that happened only during the era of the Perak Sultanate. It had actually existed since the state of Perak was led by local chieftains such as
Tok Temong
,
Tun Saban
and many others. The reason for the disappearance and decline of Bandor's greatness began with the assassination of the first British Resident in Perak. The British arrived at the end of the 19th century after being invited by Raja Abdullah, who at the time was vying for the throne with Raja Bendahara, Raja Ismail, following the passing of
Sultan Ali Al-Mukammal Inayat Shah
. After
J.W.W. Birch
was killed by Si Puntom while bathing, the British began attacking the entire Bandor area, including Pasir Salak, in retaliation for the murder of their Resident. Since then, Bandor became quiet as its residents fled to Bidor, Teluk Intan, Bagan Datoh, Kuala Kangsar, and other states.
