Kampung Kepayang, The Earliest Malay Settlement in Ipoh

In 1528, Tun Kelalang, the son of the Hulu Perak Ruler Tun Saban, sailed down the Perak River and entered one of its tributaries, the Kinta River. Upon reaching a certain area, Tun Kelalang established a settlement named Kampung Kepayang, located within the Mukim of Ulu Kinta, Kinta District, Perak. The 2nd Sultan of Perak, Sultan Mansur Shah, married the daughter of an Orang Asli Chief (Tok Batin) in Kuala Kinta and was blessed with a son named Toh Changkat Piatu, also known as Kulop Kinta.

Toh Changkat Piatu married an Orang Asli girl named Puteri Mazwin. They were blessed with a son named Toh Chandang, who was bestowed the title of Maharaja Kinta by the 5th Sultan of Perak, Sultan Muzaffar Shah II.

The marriage between the descendants of Tun Kelalang and the descendants of Sultan Mansur Shah gave rise to the Panglima Kinta lineage, who inherited the positions of Panglima Kinta Bangsa DiRaja (Orang Besar Lapan) and Toh Senongsa Seri Nara Wangsa (Orang Besar Enam Belas). The Panglima Kinta Bangsa Di Raja represented the Sultan of Perak in governing the Kinta District, assisted by Toh Senongsa Seri Nara Wangsa, who was responsible for administering Kampung Kepayang, located within the Kinta District.

Kampung Kepayang was once the Administrative Center for the Kinta District. The involvement of the 7th Panglima Kinta, Toh Ngah Abdul Jaafar (also known as Toh Ngah Jabor / Toh Gemok) and his younger sibling, Toh Senongsa Seri Nara Wangsa, Itam Dewi, in the assassination of the first British Resident in Pasir Salak is well-documented. This incident triggered the Perak War of 1875, and following the end of the war, the village's status as the Administrative Center for the Kinta District was effectively erased by the British.

Toh Ngah Abdul Jaafar (Ngah Jabor / Toh Gemuk), who was the last Panglima Kinta Pasak Kepayang, was imprisoned in Singapore (1877 to 1887) and quietly released by the 28th Sultan of Perak, Sultan Idris Shah. Meanwhile, Toh Senongsa Seri Nara Wangsa, Itam Dewi, was exiled to Johor along with the 25th Sultan of Perak, Sultan Ismail Mu'abidin Riayat Shah. Furthermore, the position of Toh Senongsa Seri Nara Wangsa was abolished from the structure of the Perak Sultanate.

Main References:

• "Salasilah Keturunan Panglima Kinta Seri Amar Bangsa Di Raja", compiled by Fazil Shuhaimi Talib.
• "Titles and Ceremonial Traditions of the Royalty and Nobility of the State of Perak, Malaysia", written by Dr. Adib Vincent Tung.
• "Kenali Kampung Kepayang", directed by Mukriz Mahader, produced by Astro AWANI.
• "Dokumentari Tanah Secupak: Kampung Kepayang", directed by Faizal Zainol, produced by Continuallybebas.
• "Dokumentari Panglima Kinta Pasak Kepayang yang Terakhir: Ngah Abdul Jaafar", directed by Faizal Zainol.
• "Cempaka Sari - Sejarah Kesultanan Negeri Perak", written by Colonel Prof. Dato' Dr. Ahmad Fawzi Basri.
• "Pasir Salak, Pusat Gerakan Menentang British di Perak", written by Abdullah Zakaria Ghazali.

Oral Sources:

• YDH Toh Muda Panglima Kinta Seri Amar Bangsa DiRaja, Dato Ab. Wahab bin Dato Seri Azizul Hassan, Kinta District Chief.