Kajang is a city in

Hulu Langat District Hulu Langat District is a district of Malaysia located in the southeastern corner of Selangor, between Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan. It is bordered by the state of Pahang to the east and north, Gombak district to the north-west, Federal Terr ...

Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, located southeast of

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

. Kajang, along with much of Hulu Langat District, is governed by the

Kajang Municipal Council Kajang Municipal Council ( Malay: ''Majlis Perbandaran Kajang'') is the local government authority serving Hulu Langat District in Selangor, Malaysia. History The Kajang Municipal Council was granted municipal status on 1 January 1997. Previously ...

. Kajang town is located on the eastern banks of the Langat River. It is surrounded by

Cheras The Chera dynasty ( or Cēra, ), also known as Keralaputra, from the early historic or the Sangam period in Tamil-speaking southern India, ruled over parts of present-day states Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Cheras, known as one of the mu-ventar ...

Semenyih Semenyih is a town and a mukim in Hulu Langat District in southeastern Selangor, Malaysia along the Kajang–Seremban road. It is southeast of downtown Kuala Lumpur and southeast of Kajang. Etymology The meaning of the name of the town is un ...

Bangi Bangi may refer to: *Bangi (surname), an Indian surname *Bangi District, Bangi, Afghanistan *Bangi, Iran (disambiguation) *Bangi, Nepal *Bangi, Malaysia ** Bangi Komuter station, Malaysia * Bandar Baru Bangi, Malaysia * Bangi (federal constituency), ...

Putrajaya Putrajaya (), officially the Federal Territory of Putrajaya (), is the administrative centre of Malaysia. The Seat of government, seat of the Government of Malaysia, federal government of Malaysia was moved in 1999 from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajay ...

and Serdang. According to the 2020 census, the local authority area (which includes Kajang, Cheras, Balakong, Bangi, Semenyih and Pekan Hulu Langat) has a population of 1.05 million people.

Etymology

The name ''Kajang'' is believed to have originated from the language of Temuan tribes (

Orang Asli The Orang Asli are a Homogeneity and heterogeneity, heterogeneous Indigenous peoples, indigenous population forming a national minority in Malaysia. They are the oldest inhabitants of Peninsular Malaysia. As of 2017, the Orang Asli accounted f ...

) who populated the Langat valley in the 17th-18th centuries. In their language ''kajang'' referred to their art of weaving

screwpine ''Pandanus'' is a genus of monocots with about 578 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. Common names include pandan, screw palm and screw pine. The genus is classified ...

pandanus ''Pandanus'' is a genus of monocots with about 578 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. Common names include pandan, screw palm and screw pine. The genus is classified ...

leaves, which were prevalent in much of the country. A similar theory stated that settlers from the neighboring domain of

Sungai Ujong Seremban (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Somban'') is a city in the Seremban District and the capital of the state of Negeri Sembilan in Peninsular Malaysia. The city's administration is run by the Seremban Municipal Council, Seremban City Council. ...

(

Negeri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan''), historically spelled as Negri Sembilan, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia which lies on the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, wes ...

) once constructed huts (''pondok'') in the area with

thatched Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge ('' Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of ...

roof made from folded (''lipat kajang'') screwpine leaves. It is also believed that the name ''kajang'' may have originated from the Buginese word ''berkajang'', meaning ''camp'' or ''accommodation''.

Geography and development

Kajang is about 22 km (14 miles), about a half hour's drive, from Kuala Lumpur's central business district, primarily through Jalan Cheras and the Grand Saga Expressway; both routes are part of the

Malaysia Federal Route 1 The Federal Route 1 is the first Malaysian Federal Roads system, federal road in Malaysia, the oldest federal road in Malaysia, and among the nation's earliest public roadways ever constructed. The Federal Route 1 was the backbone of the road syst ...

system. By railway, it is about 40 minutes' ride from

KL Sentral Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station (KL Sentral) is a transit-oriented development that houses the main railway station of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Opened on 16 April 2001, KL Sentral replaced the old Kuala Lumpur railway station as t ...

on the MRT

Kajang line The MRT Kajang Line, previously known as the MRT Sungai Buloh–Kajang Line, is a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line servicing the Klang Valley, Malaysia. It is the second fully automated and driverless rail system in the Klang Valley region afte ...

. The first planned township built and developed just outside Kajang is

Bandar Baru Bangi Bandar Baru Bangi (literal translation: ''Bangi New Town'') is a township and satellite town of Kajang situated in Hulu Langat District, in southeastern Selangor, Malaysia. It is named after the small town of Bangi situated further south. It i ...

which was first developed in 1974 by the Selangor state government. As a ''

satellite town A satellite city or satellite town is a smaller municipality or settlement that is part of (or on the edge of) a larger metropolitan area and serves as a regional population and employment center. It differs from mere suburbs, subdivisions a ...

'' to Kajang proper, some government offices including the district land office begin operating out of the township. The Kajang bus and taxi terminal called ''Hentian Kajang'' is also located at the eastern end of the township. More townships were developed closer to Kajang town in recent years, such as Taman Prima Saujana, Sungai Chua and Taman Kajang Perdana (Kajang Highlands). High-end developments in Kajang include Twin Palms, Sri Banyan, Country Heights, Jade Hills, Saujana Impian, TTDI Grove, Tropicana Heights and Prima Paramount. Areas surrounding these townships are accessible via the SILK Expressway, Kajang-Seremban Expressway, Grand Saga Expressway and the

North–South Expressway Southern Route The North–South Expressway Southern Route () is an interstate controlled-access highway running parallel to the southwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The expressway forms the south section of the North–South Expressway (Malaysia), North ...

Geographical definition

Some adjacent areas in the neighbouring Sepang region including Kampung Sungai Merab, Desa Pinggiran Putra and Kampung Dato Abu Bakar Baginda, though rarely regarded as part of Kajang, are included in Kajang's postal code of 43000 due to their proximity to Kajang than to Sepang town itself. The townships in Bandar Seri Putra and Bukit Mahkota, while closer to

Lama (Bangi old town) also use the postal code of Kajang. Bangi Lama, Bandar Seri Putra and Bukit Mahkota are located in Mukim Kajang.

History

Orang Asli tribes had already established settlements in what is now Kajang as early as the 16th century, however the first recorded settlement was found in 1709 by additional Orang Asli settlers who relocated from the

Klang valley Klang Valley () is an urban agglomeration in Malaysia that is centered in the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, and including their adjoining cities and towns in the state of Selangor. It is the urban area of the much larger Ku ...

. Kajang town in its present form was founded in the 1870s, in the aftermath of the Klang War. In its early days, it was settled by Mandailings and

Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to: * Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people * Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center * Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see bel ...

people from

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

in the then-

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

, followed by Chinese tin miners. As with other towns in Selangor, Kajang as a modern town owes its rise in particular to

tin Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin makes a sound, the ...

mines and plantations which were opened around the 1890s. A famous coffee estates was ''Inch Kenneth Estate'' managed by the Kindersley brothers, who were among the first to plant rubber in the country on a commercial basis. Kajang town at night

During the Japanese invasion, Kajang was bombed on 12 January 1942, a day after the fall of Kuala Lumpur. The bombs, meant for the

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

, missed its target, and hit a nearby church instead. In 1948, a Communist insurgency against British forces and their allies across Malaya began, which led to the

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War, was a guerrilla warfare, guerrilla war fought in Federation of Malaya, Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Arm ...

with fighting soon spreading to Kajang. Guerrilla leader Lau Yew died in combat just outside Kajang in July 1948; British forces photographed his corpse and printed the image onto leaflets to distribute around Kajang. Kajang was granted municipal status on 1 January 1997. Previously it was under the jurisdiction of the Hulu Langat District Council (''Majlis Daerah Hulu Langat'', MDHL). Kajang was the

administrative centre An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

of the Hulu Langat region until it was relocated to

in 1992.

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the Kajang Municipal Council is home to 1.05 million people, making it Malaysia's second most populous local authority after

. Over 350,000 people reside in Kajang town itself and its immediate suburbs. Kajang's main population centres are Sg. Sekamat, Taman Saujana Impian, Sg. Kantan, Sg. Jelok, Sg. Ramal, Sungai Chua, Jalan Reko, Jalan Bukit, Taman Jenaris, Taman Prima Saujana, Taman Kantan Permai, Taman Kajang Perdana, Taman Sri Ramal, Taman Bukit Mewah, Kajang Prima, Bandar Teknologi Kajang, Hillpark and Bandar Baru Bangi.

Landmarks

The city centre of Kajang is the colonial quarter near the Stadium Kajang MRT station, including the streets of Jalan Mendaling, Jalan Stadium, Jalan Sulaiman and Jalan Raja Haroun. The buildings in the area were constructed around the 1900s to 1930s. The architecture of these shophouses are a combination of traditional Chinese and European designs. The ground floor was used mostly for commercial activities and the upper floor as the family living quarters. Masjid India Kajang

One of Kajang's landmarks is Kajang Stadium which is situated in the heart of the town. The stadium can accommodate up to 5,000 people and is used throughout the year for the community soccer competitions. Another landmark is the Kajang Jamek Mosque, which is recognisable by its bright yellow facade.

Transportation

Car

Kajang is served by a network of tolled expressways and federal highways. Federal Route 1, the premier north–south federal route of Peninsular Malaysia, runs through downtown Kajang as Jalan Cheras from

until Sungai Jernih and Stadium Kajang and then southwards as Jalan Semenyih from Stadium Kajang until

Beranang Beranang is a town and a mukim in Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. Residential areas * Eco Majestic * Rinching * Tasik Kesuma * Bukit Mahkota Transportation Car Federal Route 1 (Kuala Lumpur-Johor Bahru road) runs through Beranang ...

and neighbouring

Seremban Seremban (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Somban'') is a city in the Seremban District and the capital of the state of Negeri Sembilan in Peninsular Malaysia. The city's administration is run by the Seremban Municipal Council, Seremban City Council. ...

with the rest of the route terminating in

Johor Bahru Johor Bahru, abbreviated as JB, is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Johor. It is the core city of Johor Bahru District, Malaysia's second-largest district by population and the second-largest district economy. Covering an area of ...

Johor Johor, also spelled Johore,'' is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore ...

- the route's southern terminus. On Federal Route 1, Kajang is 22 km from

, 8 km from

and 43 km from

. A stretch of Federal Route 1 is concurrent with the Cheras-Kajang toll road (aka the ''Grand Saga Expressway'') between Taman Connaught and Bukit Dukung. The SILK Expressway starts in Serdang, which then runs through

Balakong Balakong is a township in Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. Located to the southeast of Greater Kuala Lumpur, the township consists mainly of residential condominiums, office complexes and factories. Notable landmarks in Balakong include ...

and then forms a beltway around downtown Kajang before ending near

. It is the main ring road for Kajang. PLUS Expressway exit 210 (Kajang Interchange) serves the vicinity of Kajang and Bangi. It also links the expressway to SILK Expressway and SKVE Expressway as well as B11 which runs concurrently with SILK and SKVE from SKVE's Serdang Interchange at Seri Kembangan until SILK's Sungai Chua Interchange at Kajang, before being detoured out of SILK after the interchange. B11 continues on its own separate route until its terminus at Stadium Kajang just before the intersection with Jalan Cheras, Jalan Semenyih and Jalan Reko From

Ampang Jaya Ampang Jaya, more commonly known as just Ampang, is a town, a mukim and a parliamentary constituency straddling parts of the Hulu Langat District and Gombak District, in eastern Selangor, Malaysia. It is located just outside the eastern borde ...

, one can reach Kajang with state routes B62 and B52.

Public transport

Kajang railway station is the principal rail station of Kajang. It is an interchange station between the

MRT Kajang Line The MRT Kajang Line, previously known as the MRT Sungai Buloh–Kajang Line, is a Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit, Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line servicing the Klang Valley, Malaysia. It is the second List of automated urban metro subway system ...

, KTM Seremban Line and

KTM ETS The KTM ETS, commercially known as ETS (Electric Train Service), is an inter-city rail, inter-city higher-speed rail service in Malaysia operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM). The KTM ETS is the second electric train service to be operated by t ...

. The station is the southern terminal of the MRT line. Kajang station, though so named, does not directly serve downtown Kajang; Stadium Kajang MRT is located in the actual downtown area, along with Sungai Jernih MRT.

Food and tourism

Kajang is famous for its ''

satay Satay ( , in the US also ), or sate in Indonesia, is a Javanese cuisine, Javanese dish of seasoned, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. Satay originated in Java, but has spread throughout Indonesia, into Southeast Asia, Europe, ...

'', a form of skewered barbecued meat. Informally, Kajang is known as the ''Satay Town.''

Government and infrastructure

The Malaysia Prison Complex (''Kompleks Penjara Kajang''), Prison Department of Malaysia is headquartered in Kajang.

Shopping

Kajang has multiple shopping complexes, amongst them is the Billion Shopping Center formerly in Kajang town, which now has relocated to Bandar Teknologi Kajang. Other shopping centres located in Kajang are Plaza Metro Kajang, Metro Point and Kompleks Kota Kajang. Metro Avenue is a new shopping district located opposite SMJK Yu Hua Kajang and Kajang High School.

Facilities and amenities

Kajang Hospital is the primary

public hospital A public hospital, or government hospital, is a hospital which is government owned and is predominantly funded by the government and operates predominantly off the money that is collected from taxpayers to fund healthcare initiatives. In almost al ...

in the city. Private medical centres function 24 hours and include facilities such as ''Poliklinik MUC @Metro Point'', ''Klinik Mediviron Prima Saujana'', ''Kajang Plaza Medical Centre'' (KPMC) and ''KPJ Kajang Specialist Hospital''. The Hulu Langat District Police Headquarters are located in the town centre, across the Highway 1 junction from the Post Office. Federal government agencies with their branch in Kajang include the National Registration Department, Immigration Department, Transportation Department, and Hulu Langat Education Office.

Education

Primary

* Al-Amin Sungai Tangkas * Rafflesia International School Kajang 2 * SK Bandar Seri Putra * SK Jalan Bukit 1 * SK Jalan Bukit 2 * SK Jalan Semenyih 1 * SK Jalan Semenyih 2 * SK Kajang * SK Kajang Utama * SK Kantan Permai * SK Leftenan Adnan * SK Saujana Impian * SK Saujana Impian 2 * SK Seri Sekamat * SK Taman Jasmin * SK Taman Sri Jelok * SRJK(C) Yu Hua * SRJK(C) Yu Hua 2 (under construction) * SRJK(C) Sungai Chua * SRJK(T) Kajang * Tanarata International Schools * SK Convent Kajang * SK Taman Rakan

Secondary

* Rafflesia International School@Kajang 2 * SMK Convent Kajang * SM Integrasi Tahfiz Ilmuwan Bangi * SM Rafflesia@Kajang 2 * SM Teknik Kajang * SMAP Kajang * SMJK Yu Hua Kajang * SMK Jalan Bukit * SMK Jalan Reko * SMK Kajang Utama * SMK Saujana Impian * SMK Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (SAAS) * SMK Sungai Ramal (SEMARAK) * SMK Taman Jasmin 2 * SMK Tinggi Kajang (Kajang High School) * SMKA Maahad Hamidiah * Tanarata International Schools

Tertiary

Kajang is home to institutions of higher learning, which includes: *

Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (abbreviated as UTAR; ) is a not-for-profit private research university in Malaysia. UTAR ranked among top 100 in the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2018 and top 600 in the Times Higher Educatio ...

(UTAR) Sungai Long Campus *

Universiti Tenaga Nasional Universiti Tenaga Nasional (; UNITEN) is a private university, located in Selangor, Malaysia, with GLC university status. It is wholly owned by the public-listed Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), established in 1997. History Universiti Tenaga Na ...

* Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur *

New Era University College New Era University College (NEUC) is a private, non-profit higher education institution in Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia. It was founded on 28 May 1997. NEUC is a LCCI Registered Training Centre (RTC), and also a Cisco Networking Academy, whi ...

* German-Malaysian Institute * Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysia France Institute (MFI) * Universiti Kuala Lumpur Medical Science and Technology (MESTECH) *

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia The National University of Malaysia (, abbreviated as UKM) is a public research university located in Bandar Baru Bangi, Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. Its teaching hospital, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), ...

(UKM)

Politics

Kajang Kajang is a city in Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia, located southeast of Kuala Lumpur. Kajang, along with much of Hulu Langat District, is governed by the Kajang Municipal Council. Kajang town is located on the eastern banks of the L ...

is a state seat in the

Selangor State Legislative Assembly The Selangor State Legislative Assembly () is the unicameral Dewan Undangan Negeri, state legislature of the Malaysian Malay states, state of Selangor. The State Assembly is composed of 56 members representing single-member constituencies througho ...

and one of three state seats within the

parliamentary seat in the

Dewan Rakyat The Dewan Rakyat (; Jawi script, Jawi: ), is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Malaysia, Parliament which is the federal legislature of Malaysia. The chamber and its powers are established by Article 44 of the Constitu ...

of the

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

besides

and Sungai Ramal. Bangi has been represented by Member of Parliament (MP) Syahredzan Johan of

Pakatan Harapan Pakatan Harapan (PH; stylised as HARAPAN; ) is a Malaysian Parliamentary group, political coalition consisting of Centre-left politics, centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has led ...

(PH) since 2022 and Kajang has been represented by

Member of the Legislative Assembly A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several nation ...

(MLA) David Cheong Kian Young of PH since 2023. Before that, Kajang was one of the state seats within the

Hulu Langat Hulu Langat District is a district of Malaysia located in the southeastern corner of Selangor, between Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan. It is bordered by the state of Pahang to the east and north, Gombak district to the north-west, Federal Ter ...

parliamentary seat in the Dewan Rakyat of the Parliament besides

and

Dusun Tua Dusun Tua is a small village in Hulu Langat district, Selangor, Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy ...

Notable people

* Lt Adnan Bin Saidi, Malayan military officer who took part in the

Battle of Singapore The fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore, took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of Japan captured the British stronghold of Singapore, with fighting lasting from 8 to 15 February 1942. S ...

Bukit Chandu Bukit Chandu ( Malay for Opium Hill) is a hill located in Kent Ridge in Singapore where the Battle of Bukit Chandu took place on 14 February 1942 during the Battle of Singapore in World War II. Notable attractions * Reflections at Bukit Chandu ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. * Datuk Ramli bin Ibrahim, Malaysian choreographer. *

Ning Baizura Ning Baizura binti Sheikh Hamzah (born 28 June 1975), better known by her stage name Ning Baizura, is a Malaysian pop and R&B singer, actress who sings in Malay, English, Japanese, Italian, French, Mandarin and Cantonese. Early life She ...

, singer. *

Nora Danish Nora Mohd Danish Hanif (born 7 March 1982), professionally known as Nora Danish, is a Malaysian actress, singer, host and model. Background Nora was born on 7 March 1982 to a parent of Arab and Burmese descent. She was educated at Convent N ...

, actress. * Suresh Navaratnam, Malaysian cricketer, represented Malaysia for 21 years and captained the National Team. * K. Sanbagamaran, former

Selangor FA Selangor Football Club ( Malay: ''Kelab Bola Sepak Selangor'') is a professional football club based in the city of Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. The club currently competes in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football. ...

and

Malaysia national football team The Malaysia national football team () represents Malaysia in international association football, football and is governed by the Football Association of Malaysia. The national team is recognised by FIFA as the successor of the defunct Malaya ...

player. * D. Christie Jayaseelan, football player. * K. Reuben, football player. *

Safee Sali Mohd Safee bin Mohd Sali (born 29 January 1984) is a former Malaysian footballer who played as forward. He played for Kuala Lumpur FA, Telekom Melaka, Sarawak, Selangor, Johor Darul Ta'zim, PKNS, Perlis and Petaling Jaya City before return ...

, football player.

References

External links

Kajang Municipal Council Official Website
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