Balai Datuk Maharajalela

There is an interesting place - the Balai Datuk Maharajalela in Kamunting  - which. many people have forgotten about.  It is located within the compound of the infamous detention camp.  Once it was a thing of beauty where the garden was well kept and visitors came in dozens to see the place.  There used to be a restaurant operating at the place and the grand hall was a popular place for weddings and official events.  I could remember that there were events organized for the public, such as fishing competition and 'merbok' bird singing contests.  Below the 'balai' was a display room for the prisoners' handicraft.  It was so well set up but now it's abandoned!!  Why is this beautiful place left to rot? And, as you can see for yourself - it's rotting, literally.

This is the gate to the Balai Datuk Maharajalela. It is no longer open to the public and the place looks abandoned. 

The name of the place can still be seen by the side of the gate even though it has faded considerably. It's done by hand and certainly reflects the work of skillful artists.  And, on each side of the gate was a giant carving of  the image of Arjuna, a warrior from the Javanese wayang kulit stories.

This was what the entrance looked like in 1987 when the place was well-kept and was attracting tourists.
                                                  The pictures below were taken in 1984.

Inside the big hall, was a restaurant and the place was well decorated with traditional cravings and traditional musical instruments.  I don't know what happened to them.  No outsider could go near enough to get a peep into that place now.

 

     

This is the "Balai" or the big hall for public gatherings and functions.  Look at the grass, it tells us of the extent of neglect this place has gone through.  The large compound of this place is all covered with grass and weeds now.  

The Grand Hall or Balai was built according to traditional malay-style architecture with pointed roof and stands on stilts.  The concrete stairs leading up to the hall are like those commonly found in the kampung houses in the states of Malacca and Negeri Sembilan.

The road leading from the gates to the hall is also covered with grass and weed and has "disappeared". The only evidence of a road is the small roundabout at the centre where two giant krisses stabbed into the ground.  However, today, only one kris survives the test of time.  You can see it in the pictures above.  

This place has such great potential for tourism and could be used to educate people about local architecture as well as social history.  But why has it been left to rot?  I don't know what plans the people involved with this place has for its future.  Let's hope it's something good.