The History Behind the Construction of Ubudiah Mosque in Bukit Chandan
In Bukit Chandan, Kuala Kangsar, there are two magnificent buildings with stunning architecture that are truly a sight to behold. Both are closely linked to the Perak Sultanate, with these two architectural landmarks being the Ubudiah Mosque and the Istana Iskandariah.
This time, orangperak.com would like to share a more in-depth story regarding the history of the Ubudiah Mosque's construction. For general knowledge, the Ubudiah Mosque was often referred to as the National Mosque, as it was the primary location for the Sultan of Perak and the royal family to perform their daily prayers and other official ceremonies. Some time before the Ubudiah Mosque was built, the 28th Sultan of Perak, the late Sultan Idris I, who ruled Perak from 1887 to 1916, had planned to build a mosque. Behind this proposal, there was a specific event that motivated the Sultan to build it. The story goes that the late Sultan Idris I (the 28th Sultan of Perak) once fell ill and traveled to Port Dickson for treatment and rest. At that time, he made a vow to build a mosque upon his return to the Istana Bukit Chandan in Kuala Kangsar if he were to recover.
The late Sultan Idris I The vow made by the late Sultan Idris I (the 28th Sultan of Perak) was a sign of his gratitude to Allah SWT for granting him recovery. Indirectly, he also wanted to provide a large and comfortable mosque for his subjects to perform their daily worship. After the late Sultan Idris I (the 28th Sultan of Perak) recovered, he returned to Bukit Chandan from Port Dickson. Immediately upon his arrival, without delay, he instructed an engineer in Kuala Lumpur to prepare for the construction of the mosque he desired. Col. Hussley was the name of the engineer tasked by the late Sultan Idris I (the 28th Sultan of Perak) to build the Ubudiah Mosque. The Sultan also expressed his wish for the mosque to be built using marble imported from Italy.
The foundation stone laying ceremony for the Ubudiah Mosque was held in 1913, performed by the late Sultan Idris I (the 28th Sultan of Perak) himself. As fate would have it, while the mosque was under active construction, a feast was held near the construction site. The feast was hosted by the royal family for the circumcision ceremony of the grandson of the late Sultan Idris I (the 28th Sultan of Perak), Raja Khalid, son of the late Sultan Abdul Jalil (the 29th Sultan of Perak). During the feast, an elephant fight was staged, which lasted for several hours. One of the elephants, named Kulup Chandan, was owned by the late Sultan Idris I (the 28th Sultan of Perak) and handled by Kulup Said. Its opponent was an elephant named Kulup Gangga, owned by Raja Chulan and handled by Uda Dabok. While the two elephants were fighting, they strayed into the mosque construction area located not far from the feast. It was then that a large portion of the construction materials for the Ubudiah Mosque, including the marble imported from Italy, was damaged and destroyed.
Raja Chulan (left) and the late Sultan Idris I (right) The fight between the two bull elephants was stopped by Raja Chulan before the situation became uncontrollable and to prevent further damage. Consequently, new construction materials had to be re-ordered from Italy to replace those that were destroyed. Unfortunately, World War I was raging at that time. Due to the crisis caused by the war, the merchant ship carrying the construction materials for the Ubudiah Mosque had to change its route, sailing via the Cape of Good Hope before arriving in Perak. In 1916, the late Sultan Idris I (the 28th Sultan of Perak) passed away while the Ubudiah Mosque was still under construction. After his passing, his son, the late Sultan Abdul Jalil, ascended the throne as the 29th Sultan of Perak. The reign of the late Sultan Abdul Jalil (the 29th Sultan of Perak) was short, lasting less than two years. During that time, he managed to officiate the Ubudiah Mosque in 1917.
The construction cost of the Ubudiah Mosque reached $300,000. For your information, the Istana Iskandariah, which serves as the residence of the Sultan of Perak, was built in 1933 using a large amount of surplus materials from the Ubudiah Mosque, as well as materials ordered from abroad, particularly the same marble used for the Ubudiah Mosque.
