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Seri Menanti Palace

    Seri Menanti is basically a royal town that is situated at the district of Kuala Pillah in Negeri Sembilan. One of the Places of attraction there includes the “Seri Menanti Royal Museum” which was built from 1902 to 1905. Before the building was converted into a museum, it started off as the royal palace for Tuanku Muhammad Shah who was the 7th Ruler of Negeri Sembilan. In Malay, Tuanku or Yang di-Pertuan Besar, literally mean "He Who Is Made Great" or "Great Ruler", is a royal title given. The five storey black wooden palace standing at 65 feet height was built by two local Malay carpenters named Tukang Kahar and Tukang Taib based on the drawings plan of Mr. M.Woodford who was the head draughtsman at the Public Works Department during that time.

    Historically, the royal ancestry of Negeri Sembilan rooted from Sumatera. Originally Negeri Sembilan was just a state of rainforest land that was occupied by aboriginal tribes of three main types namely the Biduanda, the Bersisi and the Jakun. After that, the Minangkabau people from Sumatera started to reside there. Minangkabaus were the first migrant community to the state of Negeri Sembilan in the 14th century. After the demise of Sultan Mahmud of Johor, the Minangkabau people initiated a request to have their own ruler for Negeri Sembilan, hence, a Sumatran prince named Raja Melewar was appointed as the first Yang Di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan.

    Raja Melewar who then set up his royal palace in Seri Menanti, literally means Glorious Waiting, with this name given to this town because of the affluent paddy crop waiting to be harvested in the large field.

    Raja Melewar first palace was destroyed by the British in the year of 1875 which then brought about the construction work for a new palace, that’s the current Seri Menanti Royal Museum.

   The astonishing fact about the Seri Menanti Royal Museum is that there were not any nails or screws being used in the construction of this building that consist of a total of 99 pillars, instead, only wooden pegs were employed in holding up the palace. Four of the main wooden posts at the centre of the palace were each made of single “Cengal” tree respectively. While the roof of the Seri Menanti embodies a buffalo’s horns, a symbol of protection. The 99 pillars constructed were to denote the 99 brave warriors.

   The exterior of the museum is decorated with detailed flower motive while its first floor consists of reception rooms and a long veranda. Artifacts such as traditional weaponry, royal costumes, bed chambers, portrays of the rulers and history of royal pedigree can be found inside the museum.

Photo taken by, Cikgu Sharil Ramli (Negeri Sembilan)