Early Kingdoms in the Dinding District of Perak

The name Dinding district has not been used since the reign of the late Sultan Idris II (33rd Sultan of Perak). We are all aware that an ancient kingdom known as Gangga Negara once existed, which was very renowned in the Dinding district area, located in Beruas.

It is written in the book Sulalatus Salatin where the location of the ancient Gangga Negara kingdom's center was situated. However, its exact location cannot be identified today, perhaps due to changes in the landscape over time as a result of local development.

".... after some time, Raja Suran arrived at a state named Gangga Negara, with Raja Gangga Shah Johan as its king. The state was situated on a hill; viewed from the front, it was very high, and from the back, it was low; its fort still exists on the land of Dinding, slightly towards Perak ...."

As we are already aware, the ancient Gangga Negara kingdom was destroyed and devastated by the attack of Raja Suran. However, not many know that with the fall of the Gangga Negara kingdom, two new kingdoms emerged: the Beruas Kingdom and the Manjung Kingdom.

Both kingdoms were once very famous for their tin production, and interestingly, these neighboring kingdoms were often at odds in various sectors, including bloody wars and economic warfare. There are also records regarding the late Sultan Mahmud Shah (the 8th and final Sultan of Melaka) stating that he once sent troops to assist the Beruas kingdom in defeating the Manjung kingdom.

With the help of the late Sultan Mahmud Shah (the 8th Sultan of Melaka), the Manjung kingdom fell, and subsequently, the territory of the Manjung kingdom became part of the Beruas kingdom's territory. Consequently, members of the Melaka royal family were appointed to lead the Beruas kingdom at that time. The relationship between the Melaka state and the Beruas kingdom was very close until a calamity occurred that caused the state of Melaka to fall to the Portuguese.

Following the fall of the Melaka state to the Portuguese, it also had a domino effect on any kingdoms under Melaka's influence. Thus, the Beruas kingdom also collapsed due to the fall of Melaka. While under Portuguese administration, the Manjung area was developed into a highly advanced trading hub. Furthermore, as the population grew with more people migrating there, Manjung became a focal point for traders.

The Manjung area also became the most important collection and production center for tin during that era. Manjung was also required to send 6,000 units of tin per year to Melaka. Sources and references:

• Sulalatus Salatin
• Dinding Jajahan Istimewa Di Perak