The Tomb of the Last Raja Reman's Wife in Pengkalan Hulu
During the golden age of the Reman state, it was a sovereign kingdom. Its territory stretched from the upper reaches of the Patani and Tanjung Mas rivers all the way to the Lenggong area in the state of Perak.
Therefore, the upper reaches of the Sungai Perak were certainly under the rule of the Raja Reman, who traveled to Kelian Intan to develop tin mines there. Most of our society today has completely forgotten the existence of a sovereign Malay state, the state of Reman, which was established over 100 years ago on the soil of Perak. You can refer back to our previous articles regarding the state of Reman at
Pengkalan Hulu Once Had a Sovereign Reman State
and
Evidence That the Reman State Once Existed in Gerik, Perak
. The former palace of Tuan Jagung, the last Raja Reman, still stands today in Kampung Selarong. It is known as Istana Singgah, built from wood over 100 years ago. This palace was also used as a stopover for the descendants of the Raja Reman when visiting their territories in the north.
For your information, loyal readers of orangperak.com, in Kampung Selarong, there is also the tomb of the Reman queen, Queen Cik Neng. Queen Cik Neng was the wife of the last Raja Reman, Tuan Jagung. It was fated that after a civil war occurred at the end of the 19th century involving the small district of Lenggong, things changed. What happened during that civil war was that Malay dignitaries were manipulated by foreigners to fight amongst themselves, giving the outsiders the opportunity to take over the Malay administration.
Consequently, the prince of the Raja Reman was said to be persistent in his efforts to pursue independence for the state of Reman. Unfortunately, Tuan Lebih Long Raya, the youngest son of the Raja Reman and Queen Cik Neng, was captured by the Siamese government in 1899 and executed in Bangkok. Queen Cik Neng's health began to decline as she worried excessively about the fate of her youngest son. Finally, Queen Cik Neng passed away in 1915. Her tomb is located in Kampung Selarong, Pengkalan Hulu.
The story of what happened in the state of Reman should serve as a lesson on how, in the past, Malay dignitaries could be manipulated by foreigners who pitted them against each other. By doing so, it became easy for them to take over the administration from the Malays.
This treachery caused several wars in Hulu Perak. Previously, the state of Reman was an upstream district located near Patani. The Islamic-based Malay Kingdom of Patani was a strong and very stable government during the 17th and 18th centuries.
