Map of Kuala Pilah District, Negeri Sembilan

Seri Menanti ( Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Soghi Monanti'') is a town, a

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 ...

and a state assembly constituency in Kuala Pilah District, in central

Negeri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan'') is a state in Malaysia which lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the s ...

, Malaysia. It is the royal capital of the state of Negeri Sembilan and houses the seat of the Yang Di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan or Yamtuan Besar, the ruler of the state of Negeri Sembilan. The royal palace is known as ''"Istana Besar".'' Luak Tanah Mengandung is part of Seri Menanti. Seri Menanti is not to be confused with Kampong Seri Menanti, Muar, Johor.

History

The

Minangkabau people Minangkabau people ( min, Urang Minang; Indonesian or Malay: ''Orang Minangkabau'' or ''Minangkabo''; Jawi: منڠكبو), also known as Minang, are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the Minangkabau Highlands of West Sumatra, Indonesi ...

moved to the wider area of

during the 14th century as part of the Minang practice of ''merantau''. Around the

15th century The 15th century was the century which spans the Julian dates from 1 January 1401 ( MCDI) to 31 December 1500 ( MD). In Europe, the 15th century includes parts of the Late Middle Ages, the Early Renaissance, and the early modern period. M ...

they moved further inland from Rembau and explored an area what is known today as Seri Menanti. Among the explorers was Datuk Puteh of Pagar Ruyung. According to legend, they found three stalks of fresh green

paddy Paddy may refer to: People *Paddy (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname *An List of ethnic slurs#P, ethnic slur for an Irishman Birds *Paddy (pigeon), a Second World War carrier pigeon *Snowy sheathbill or paddy, a bird ...

and thus Datuk Puteh christened the area ''Padi Menanti'' (literally awaiting paddy). Over time the name changed to ''Seri Menanti''. It is believed that the word ''"seri"'' means the Goddess of rice in the ancient Javanese tradition (in Javanese: Sri). Raja Melewar arrived in Negeri Sembilan in 1773, installed and proclaimed as the first '' Yamtuan Besar'' in Kampung Penajis in Rembau. He later moved his palace to Seri Menanti which remains the royal town of Negeri Sembilan.

Notable and historical landmarks

The official

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

of the Yang Di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan is the Istana Besar. The palace complex consists of the Main Palace, the Throne Room (Balairong Seri), and the Royal Banquet Hall. The Istana Besar was completed in 1932. The old wooden palace, known as '' Istana Lama'', was built and officiated during the reign of ''Yang Di-Pertuan Besar'' Tuanku Muhammad Shah ibni Almarhum

Tuanku Antah Tuanku Antah ibni Almarhum Yamtuan Radin (1812–1888) was the sixth '' Yamtuan Besar'' of Negri Sembilan. He ruled from 1869 to 1888, and tried to keep Negri Sembilan independent from British rule. His son Tuanku Muhammad Shah succeeded him ...

(who reigned between 1888–1933). It is made in part of Chengal (Penak) wood '' Neobalanocarpus'' and ironwood or ''belian'' wood '' Eusideroxylon zwageri'' and held together using only wooden pegs. The palace took six years to build and was completed in 1908 at a cost of $45,000.00 at that time. The design has subtle hints of Minangkabau architecture, has five levels rising to a height of sixty-seven feet or approximately twenty meters high and has ninety-nine columns to support the main structure. The Istana Lama was a replacement for the Istana Pulih which was burned down by British soldiers. The drawings and plans for Istana Lama were detailed by Mr Woodford (Public Works Department) based on the designs provided by two local craftsmen, Kahar and Taib. This palace was used until 1932 after which the Yang Di-Pertuan Besar moved to the Istana Besar. The Istana Lama has been designated as a national heritage site and was converted into a Royal Museum in 1992. Other landmarks include the Seri Menanti Royal Mausoleum, the Tuanku Munawir Royal Mosque ''(Masjid DiRaja Tuanku Munawir)'', the Seri Menanti Resort, and the eighteen-hole Royal Seri Menanti Golf and Country Club which also has two squash courts. There is also the Ladang Alam Warisan located in Kampong Tengah which has horseback riding and horseback

archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...

and lodging facilities.

Surrounding area

Among the villages in the area are Kampung Tanah Datar, Kampung Tengah, Kampung Gamin, Kampung Istana Lama, Kampung Sikai, Kampung Buyau, Kampung Batu Hampar, Kampung Mertang Seberang, Kampung Merual, Kampung Galau, Kampung Masjid Terbakar, Kampung Padang Biawas, Kampung Jumbang, Kampong Gunung Pasir and others. A few traditionally styled houses, a derivative of the Minangkabau design Rumah Gadang remain standing around Seri Menanti and in the adjacent villages. A significant portion of the land in Seri Menanti is Malay Reserve and Malay Customary Land or Tanah Adat.

Getting there

By Road Seri Menanti located about 33.2 km from Seremban via Jalan Seremban-Kuala Pilah (Route 51) with a right turn at the junction at Terachi on to N29. The town of Kuala Pilah is approximately 14 km away via route 51 and N24. The N24 continues to Senaling which is about 12 km away and connects on to Malaysia Federal Route 9 with Kuala Pilah (left turn), Johol and Tampin (right turn).

Local Services

The town consists of a row of wooden

shophouses A shophouse is a building type serving both as a residence and a commercial business. It is defined in dictionary as a building type found in Southeast Asia that is "a shop opening on to the pavement and also used as the owner's residence", ...

, a post office, a police station, a government clinic (Klinik Kesihatan), a general-purpose

hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gr ...

(Dewan Tunku Ampuan Najihah), a primary school SRK Tunku Laxamana Nasir and a secondary school SMK Tunku Besar Burhanuddin. There are several mosques in the Seri Menanti area. * Masjid DiRaja Tuanku Munawir * Masjid Lama Tanjung Beringin * Masjid Gunung Pasir * Masjid Kariah Kampong Parit Istana * Masjid Kariah Sri Pliah

The Tunku Besar of Seri Menanti

The incumbent Tunku Besar of Seri Menanti is Tunku Ali Redhauddin, the eldest son of the Yang Di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir. The title of Tunku Besar Seri Menanti is the most senior of the Putera Yang Empat (Four Princes). This is the third time in 120 years that the Tunku Besar Seri Menanti has been appointed.

Local Events

January: Birthday day celebrations of the Yang Di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan. Celebrations start with an honour guard held at the main field and an Investiture ceremony at the Istana Besar. There are also cultural and sporting events held to celebrate his birthday which has included soccer, cycling and golf. There are other events throughout the year. In March 2017, it was the site of the CIMB CYCLE @ SERI MENANTI 2017 which comprised the 120 km Endurance Route and 35 km Challenge Route.

Heritage

In February 2009, the Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal announced that the Istana Lama Seri Menanti is among ten historical structures in Malaysia gazetted as a national heritage, along with Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur and The Stadthuys in

Malacca Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...

References

{{coord, 2, 42, N, 102, 10, E, region:MY_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Kuala Pilah District Towns in Negeri Sembilan Mukims of Negeri Sembilan