The 1970 Mystery at Gunung Pondok, Kuala Kangsar
Gunung Pondok, synonymous with the Padang Rengas area in Kuala Kangsar, serves as a natural landmark separating the borders of Kuala Kangsar and Larut.
Due to its massive size and visibility from the flatlands, it was once very useful as a navigational landmark for both locations. What is interesting about Gunung Pondok is that it used to be a focal point for researchers. They would climb to the summit of Gunung Pondok for archaeological studies.
For some locals, it was a favorite spot for hunting, especially to track down the serow, a species of wildlife that is extremely difficult to find.
Others were clever enough to seize the opportunity to supplement their income by searching for and collecting bat guano inside the caves to be used as fertilizer. Among the caves that were focal points were Gua Panca Logam and Gua Bersanding. There were also a few individuals who liked to conduct meditation sessions to enhance their spiritual and martial arts knowledge. Everything mentioned above happened at Gunung Pondok before a mysterious event occurred, which caused no one to dare climb the mountain anymore. One of the events still considered a mystery to this day occurred in early 1970, when a Chinese researcher was reported missing while conducting a study with a group. It is unknown what happened to the researcher, and it is understood that while on the mountain, the researcher simply vanished without being noticed by any members of his group.
News of his disappearance was reported to the authorities, and various search efforts were actively carried out at Gunung Pondok. Villagers also joined in to help locate the researcher, working from day until night. All efforts by those involved to find the individual who suddenly vanished failed completely, and the victim has not been found to this day, leaving the case a mystery.
For your information, it is said that a landslide occurred in 1967 at Gunung Pondok, and some villagers claimed to have caught a glimpse of a woman fully dressed, standing behind a hole that looked like a large tunnel formed in the middle of the mountain. Perhaps it was a misperception or a coincidental formation, but those who happened to witness the landslide were shocked to see the figure of a woman standing in the tunnel. The incident, which happened at night, was witnessed by several residents. The tunnel-like hole only became visible after the landslide occurred; before that, the hole was never seen at all. Meanwhile, in the past, there was also an incident where a resident saw several people walking while carrying a coffin at night on a path near Gunung Pondok. That incident was also said to have been witnessed by a resident who was traveling along a road by the forest.
There were also cases of college students getting lost while trying to find their way down the mountain after a hike. Villagers could see the students from the foot of the mountain searching for a way out. For some reason, they could not get out, so the villagers had to go up to bring them home. In the past, many cases of lost hikers were reported, and it was said that if you climbed the mountain with ill intentions, you would surely get lost and never find the way out.
Today, the fate of Gunung Pondok is no longer as grand as it once was. It is now barren due to the operations of a cement factory, and its former state will never return.
