Bidor (Chinese: 美羅) is a town and

mukim A mukim is a type of administrative division used in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The word ''mukim'' is a loanword in English. However, it was also originally a loanword in Malay from the Arabic word: (meaning ''resident''). The clo ...

Batang Padang District The Batang Padang District ( ms, Daerah Batang Padang) is a district in Perak, Malaysia. This district is administered by a local council, namely, the Tapah District Council, based in Tapah. The major towns of Batang Padang are Bidor, Tapah and S ...

, southern

Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand's ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Geography

Bidor is located 59 km southeast from state capital

Ipoh , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Ipoh in Perak , pushpin_map = #Malaysia#Asia#Earth , pushpin_mapsize = 275px , pushpin_map_caption = Ipoh in Malaysia , coordinates ...

and 116 km northwest of

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

. It is south of Tapah, north of

Sungkai Sungkai is a mukim in Batang Padang District, Postcode 35600 Perak, Malaysia. It is accessible via the North–South Expressway's Sungkai Interchange.http://ww1.utusan.com.my/utusan/Utara/20140822/wu_01/Konservasi-hidupan-liar-di-Sungkai Geog ...

, east of Changkat Jong and Teluk Intan, and west of the

Titiwangsa Mountains The Titiwangsa Mountains (Malay: ''Banjaran Titiwangsa,'' بنجرن تيتيوڠسا, ), also known as ''"Banjaran Besar"'' (Big Range) by locals, is the chain of mountains that forms the backbone of the Malay Peninsula. The northern section of ...

History

Bidor and much of Perak were believed to be part of the Gangga Negara kingdom based on the historical artifacts that were discovered. It is believed that the area accepted

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

around 900 years ago. The pioneer of the town was believed to be Syeikh Abdul Ghani who also became the village headman after the founding of the settlements. Bidor was believed to have began as a small village by the bank of

Bidor River Bidor (Chinese: 美羅) is a town and mukim in Batang Padang District, southern Perak, Malaysia. Geography Bidor is located 59 km southeast from state capital Ipoh and 116 km northwest of Kuala Lumpur. It is south of Tapah, north of ...

in the late 18th century. Local villagers transported goods using their

sampans A sampan is a relatively flat-bottomed Chinese and Malay wooden boat. Some sampans include a small shelter on board and may be used as a permanent habitation on inland waters. The design closely resembles Western hard chine boats like th ...

(boats) to neighbouring villages along the river towards Teluk Intan in Hilir Perak district. Following the tin-mining boom in Perak, there was an influx of

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

immigrants to Perak as a whole, including Bidor. The

Hoklo The Hoklo people or Hokkien people () are a Han Chinese (also Han Taiwanese) subgroup who speak Hokkien, a Southern Min language, or trace their ancestry to Southeastern Fujian, China and known by various endonyms or other related terms such a ...

(

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...

-speaking) Chinese was believed to have originated from Teluk Intan. The influx of the

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...

and

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

came from

Kinta Valley The Kinta Valley is a conurbation in central Perak, Malaysia, surrounding and including the state capital Ipoh. Historically the Kinta Valley was very rich in tin, and their mines have been among the most productive in the world. The valley is form ...

and

Hulu Selangor Hulu Selangor is a district in Selangor, Malaysia. It contains the towns of Serendah, Batang Kali and Kuala Kubu Bharu. Its principal town is Kuala Kubu Bharu. The district is located in the northeastern part of Selangor and borders the state ...

. They came to Batang Padang to flee the local civil wars and Chinese triad wars.

World War II

Bidor was closely connected to the

Battle of Kampar The Battle of Kampar (30 December 1941 – 2 January 1942) was an engagement of the Malayan Campaign during World War II, involving British and Indian troops from the 11th Indian Infantry Division and the Japanese 5th Division. On 27 Decem ...

during the Japanese advancement southwards towards Kuala Lumpur. On 29 December 1941, 501 Battery withdrew to Bidor fleeing

Kampar Kampar may refer to: Indonesia *Kampar Regency, Riau Province, eastern Sumatra *Kampar River, a river in the same province Malaysia *Kampar District, Perak *Kampar, Perak, a town in Kampar District *Kampar River, Malaysia Kampar may refer to: Ind ...

. The column was again dive-bombed and machine-gunned just south of Dipang. Five men were wounded. The last entry in the 137 Regt War Diary was for 31 December 1941, Lt Hartley's 30th birthday, when his battery and the other two of 137 Regt were all in the Bikam-Sungkai area. In 1943, MPAJA's MPAJA 1st Patrol under the 5th Regiment was assigned to protect Col. John Davis who represent the Supreme Allied Commander, Admiral

Lord Louis Mountbatten Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of Germa ...

, who had just established the Head Office (HO) of

Force 136 Force 136 was a far eastern branch of the British World War II intelligence organisation, the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Originally set up in 1941 as the India Mission with the cover name of GSI(k), it absorbed what was left of SOE's Or ...

at Blantan Hill, some seven miles north-east of Bidor township. 1st Patrol was commanded by Huang Song (黃松) and his deputy Cai Dadi (蔡大地).

Communist Insurgency

Captain D.G. Lock was killed while bathing near Bidor on 2 October 1948 (att. K.O.Y.L.I.). Captain A.R. Pickin was killed in action at Bidor on 18 July 1948. Both of them were buried at Batu Gajah Christian Cemetery. GHQ 26th Gurkha Infantry Brigade and the Royal Artillery's 95 Independent Field Battery (comprising "Charlie Troop" "Dog Troop" and "Command Troop") was stationed in Bidor in the 1950s to quell communist insurgency. After Malaya gained independence, Bidor was under the command of the local Royal Malaysian Police 3rd Battalion

General Operations Forces The General Operations Force ( ms, Pasukan Gerakan Am; PGA, ''Jawi'': ڤاسوكن ڬرقن عام) is the light infantry arm of the Royal Malaysia Police. The General Operations Force was established in 1948 during the Malayan Emergency by th ...

(formally known as Police Field Force) who was stationed locally. This unit is famous with its elite

Senoi Praaq ) The Silent Killer( ms, Pembunuh Senyap) , patron = , motto ="We never killed anyone who didn't deserve to die"( ms, "Kami tidak pernah membunuh sesiapa yang tidak berhak untuk mati")"Cepat, Cekap, Ihsan"(''"Speed, Efficiency, Courtesy"'') , ...

unit; a special unit consists of Orang Asli (indigenous tribe) expert in tracking. The last 'black area' in Bidor, the Gepai Falls was finally opened to public in 1989 after a treaty was signed between Malaysian government and the Malayan Communist Party.

Economy

Bidor is a mainly industrial area. When one travels north of Bidor, one will see miles and miles of plantation on both side of the trunk road covered with lush greenery,

guava Guava () is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava ''Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the ...

oil palm ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm ''Elaeis guineensis'' (the species name ''guineensis'' referring to its co ...

and

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

plantations. An important source of income for the town, though, is (or used to be) from travellers who stop by the town for its well-known local delicacies and agricultural products. Before the advent of North–South Expressway, travellers had no choice but to pass through this town through the federal trunk road. As this town is (still is) rather famous for its variety of food, travellers frequently choose to stop-by at one of the eateries before continuing their journey.

Kaolinite Kaolinite ( ) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is an important industrial mineral. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral ...

(kaolin), a type of clay was widely exploited in Bidor

Food

The most famous food undoubtedly will be the duck-thigh-noodle available at one of the eatery that is the famous Pun Chun. The restaurant is located on the main street. Pun Chun is also famous for its 'Sat Kai Ma' (Chinese: 萨奇马) – a type of sweet dessert and also 'Kai Jai Peng' (Chinese：鸡仔饼) which is the chicken biscuit. At the morning wet market, there is a whole row of stalls, serving breakfast. One of the noodle-type food,

chee cheong fun A rice noodle roll (also translated as steamed rice roll) is a Cantonese dish from Guangdong Province in southern China, commonly served either as a snack, small meal or variety of dim sum. It is a thin roll made from a wide strip of ''shahe ...

is pretty unusual. The wet market is also famous for wanton mee and fresh roast pork. Bidor is also famous for its seedless

and its

durian The durian (, ) is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus ''Durio''. There are 30 recognised ''Durio'' species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. ''Durio zibethinus'', native to Borneo and Sumatra, is the onl ...

. Stink beans Parkia speciosa or ''Petai'' is also sold at a reasonable price at new place of all trader sell directly to customer only 2 kilometres from Bidor town. The most famous food attraction in Bidor is a coffee shop run by Ah Pu. One must not miss his Kopi Kau Special ... which has a distinctive whiskey after taste. Restaurant Kari Kepala Ikan Noordin Bidor which is located not far from Ah Pu Coffee Shop is famous for their Nasi Kandar which cooked without Coconut Milk and only Natural Seasoning is used. When eating here, one must remember to use their hands to leave the fragrant curry aroma in their fingers, which can be used as an olfactory appetizer for the next few days. Approximately 12 km from Bidor town towards Teluk Intan, there's a new village where majority of its residence are Hakka Chinese, called "Kampung Coldstream". The homemade "pan mee" sold in Kedai Kopi Kean Leong(located on the left side of the main road, grey building) is a must try. It is ideal for early goers as the shops operates as early as 6.30am to 11a.m. As for night goers, there's an old lady selling fried noodles on a bicycle just by the roadside during dinner time. Both being widely popular among locals and outsiders.

Attractions

Gepai Waterfalls is noteworthy for those who prefer swimming, picnicking or photography. Gepai Waterfalls is also known as Lubuk Degong by the locals. It used to be a black area during the communist insurgency but was later opened to public in 1989 after the Communist Party of Malaya signed a peace treaty with the Malaysian government. It was rumoured that the largest Botanical Gardens will be pioneered in Bidor. The plan was suggested by

Sultan Nazrin Shah Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Al-Maghfur-LahAnbalagan, V. (29 May 2014Raja Nazrin proclaimed as the 75th Sultan of Perak The Malaysian Insider. ( Jawi: ; born 27 November 1956) is the 35th and curren ...

and were strongly endorsed by the then Perak Chief Minister Dato Seri Tajol Rosl. However, the plan was put on hold when the Orang Asli (aborigines) opposed the plan. The plan was totally called off after the Perak state administration fell to Pakatan Rakyat as soon after the March 2008 general elections. The Orang Asli, who have got solid support from the new government agree to call off the plan totally.

Neighbourhood Gardens

* Taman Aman * Taman Anson * Taman Batang Padang
Taman Batang Padang Baru

Taman Bidor Damansara
(baru)
Taman Bidor Botani
(baru) * Taman Bidor Intan * Taman Bidor Jaya *

Taman Bidor Maju Taman may refer to: Places *Taman Peninsula, a peninsula in southern Russia **Taman Bay, an inlet of the Strait of Kerch off the peninsula **Taman, Russia, a rural locality located on the peninsula ** Port of Taman, a seaport on the Peninsula * ...

Taman Bidor Mewah

Taman Bidor Putera
* Taman Bruseh * Taman Bukit Bidor * Taman Chit Loong *

Taman Daya Taman Daya is a suburb in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. Its main road is Jalan Daya. History The township was opened on 1992. Education * Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Taman Daya * Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Daya * Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan T ...

Taman Desa Damai

Taman Gemilang

Taman Gemilang II
* Taman Maju Jaya * Taman Malaysia
Taman Megah
* Taman Intan Jaya * Taman Kandiah * Taman Kawan * Taman Permai * Taman Permata * Taman Pun Chun * Taman Puteri Indah * Taman Putra * Taman Sri Bidor * Taman Seri Bunga * Taman Seri Emas * Taman Sivil * Taman Syed Mahadzar

Schools

* SRJK (C) Choong Hua * SRJK (C) Choong Hua 2 * SRJK (C) Kuala Bikam * SRJK (C) Pekan Pasir * SRJK (C) Pin Min * SRJK (C) Tanah Mas * SRJK (C) Kampung Coldstream * SRJK (T) Ladang Banopdane * SRJK (T) Tun Sambanthan * SK Bidor * SK Jeram Mengkuang * SK Kampung Poh * SK Pos Gedong * SK Seri Bidor * SMJK (C) Choong Hua * SMK Bidor * SMK Syeikh Abdul Ghani * SRJK. (T) Ladang Bidor Tahan

Infrastructure

3rd Battalion

, the home of one of Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) most elite forces was stationed on Jalan Tapah in Bidor.

Transportation

Bidor Interchange (Exit 130) Northbound View 1

Car

By road, Bidor is 68 km from Ipoh and 138 km from Kuala Lumpur, using the Federal Route 1. The federal highway passes through Bidor town.

North–South Expressway Northern Route The North–South Expressway Northern Route is an interstate controlled-access highway running parallel to the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The expressway forms the north section of the North–South Expressway, passing thro ...

, 130 serves the city.

Public transportation

KTM Intercity KTM Intercity ( ms, KTM Antarabandar) are diesel-hauled intercity train services in Peninsular Malaysia, operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB). Services operate along the East Coast Line between Tumpat and Gemas and on towards JB S ...

narrowly misses Bidor town. The nearest railway stations are

Tapah Road Tapah Road (pop. ~7,000) is a small town in Batang Padang District, Perak, Malaysia. The population consists of 40% Muslim Malays, 30% Chinese, 20% Indians and a few indigenous. History Tapah Road was of greater importance in early to mid-20th c ...

and

stations.

References

{{Perak Batang Padang District Mukims of Perak