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Perak Tourism - Ubudiah Mosque, Kuala Kangsar
While convalescing from an illness in Port Dickson, Sultan Idris Murshidul-adzam Shah (1887-1916) made a vow to build a mosque at Bukit Chandan, Kuala Kangsar, when he fully recuperated. After his return to Kuala Kangsar, he commanded Colonel Huxley of the Public Works Department, Kuala Lumpur, to design a mosque which he wanted to build.
Architect Hubback designed the mosque by adopting Moorish architecture in his design. Mr. Caulfield, the State Engineer then, was responsible for the construction.
The unique Moorish design by Mr. Hubbert has made Ubudiah Mosque (pictured) one of the main buildings which attract tourists to Kuala Kangsar.
On September 1913, Sultan Idris Murshidul'adzam Shah laid the foundation stone for the mosque but its completion was delayed due to damage to imported marbles from Italy brought about by elephants owned by the Sultan and Raja Chulan. According to the story.....One day during a ceremony and a feast to celebrate the circumcision of Raja Khalid, a son of Sultan Abdul Jalil, suddenly His Highness' elephant named Kulub Chandan and its mahout, by the name of Kulub Said fought another elephant named Kulub Gangga with its mahout by the name of Uda Debok. The latter belonged to Raja Chulan. In the ensuing battle the elephants came to the palace where the marble and materials for the Mosque were kept and totally destroyed them. The battle lasted for several hours until Raja Chulan called his elephant by name and commanded it to stop fighting. The two elephants surprisingly obeyed his command and stopped fighting. Previous attempts made by other people to stop them from fighting were in vain.
As the marble and materials for the Mosque were destroyed, a fresh order was placed with Italy again. By this time the World War I broken out and the materials arrived very late as they had to travel via the Cape of Good Hope. However, in 1917, the construction of the Mosque was completed, and it was officially opened by Sultan Abdul Jalil Karamatullah Shah (1916-1918) who succeeded Sultan Idris I, who passed away in 1916.
At one time Ubudiah Mosque was the State Mosque until the completion of Sultan Idris Shah II Mosque in Ipoh. Ubudiah Mosque is now administered by the Ubudiah Mosque Administration Committee headed by a person appointed by the Sultan who holds the title of Orang Kaya-kaya Setia Bijaya di-Raja.
Above adapted from http://www.perak.gov.my/sultan/english/masjid_ubudiah.htm
To read more about Sultan Idris Murshidul'adzam Shah, click here.
To read more about the Perak State Mosque, Ipoh, click here.
To read more about Raja Chulan, second son of Sultan Abdullah, click here.
To read more about Kuala Kangsar, click here.
To see a Kuala Kangsar tourist brochure in e-Book form, click here.