BATU GAJAH: The Perak Heritage Association in collaboration with the descendants of Raja Bilah and the Batu Gajah Council (MDBG), has installed a signboard at the historical Rumah Besar Raja Bilah in Papan.
Built in 1896 by Raja Bilah, the Mandailing leader and “penghulu” or leader of Papan, the Rumah Besar Raja Bilah stands as an iconic symbol of Papan’s former prominence as one of the largest tin-mining settlements in the Kinta Valley during the late 19th century.
Led by Raja Bilah and the Mandailing Malay community, the town flourished economically, politically, and socially.
Unknown to many, Papan is one of Perak’s oldest Mandailing Malay settlements, dating back nearly 145 years. It played a crucial role in the region’s civilisation, shaping local politics, trade, and culture.
The house itself serves as a testament to the coexistence of multiple communities, including the Mandailing Malays, Chinese, Indians, and Europeans. Under the leadership of Raja Bilah and later his son, Penghulu Raja Yacob, Papan thrived, becoming a key economic hub of Kinta and Perak.
Fifth-generation descendant Aziah Abdullah, 47, and her twin sister Azila Abdullah, 47 said that they are thankful for the signboard's installation.
"We are really thankful as there are people still people who care about Rumah Besar Raja Bilah’s history.
"We also come back here weekly for the last 25 years to clean this area. We no longer live here, only in Batu Gajah," she said when met at the site here, on Saturday (Feb 1).
Aziah added that the Rumah Besar is accessible to visitors, but the upper floor is closed due to deteriorating wood, leaks, and disturbance by the monkeys.
"There have also been thefts, and unauthorised film shoots have taken place, distorting the house’s history. The flow of the film is not true about this place and its not haunted.
"There also some people sneak in from 2am to 3am to perform suspicious activities, which has led us to call the police," she said.
Ameen Abdullah, 77, the great-grandchild, the fourth generation descendant of Raja Bilah said, the house has five rooms—three upstairs and two downstairs.
He said the house was once very important for family gatherings, administrative affairs and daily life. Raja Bilah had five children, including his great-grandfather and they all lived in this area.
He added that the Rumah Besar was built next to Rumah Asal, followed by house s for his children to live in.
"Unfortunately, three houses belonging to his daughters have collapsed, but the Rumah Asal, the mosque is still there," he said.
Meanwhile, the president of Persatuan Warisasn Perak (PHS) Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Tahir said that the signboard is insttalled for better knowledge for visitor to the site.
"Foreign tourist also come here, so we thought that there's a need for information behind these building as we cant get info by just looking at the building," he said.
"When visitors from Indonesia come, they would know that the have heritage here and would might want to invest in it. But without proper information, they don't get the full historical context," he added.
When asked on efforts to popularise the site, he said that there should raise its genealogy, architectural significance and historical value.
"There should also be people living here (as the last was approxiamately in 2007 where a lady was living here and she died), so, if left abandoned, the house will deteriorate faster. Maintenance efforts must be continuous to ensure its survival," he said.
When asked if there is collaboration with the state government to include this place as one of the Perak tourism icons, he said it is in the itinerary.
"We have this thing in the state government's itinerary, but to what extent it is emphasised we don't know much because we on the private site. We don't know the tourist places that are focused by state government, because we only see that this is one building and it is to be visited and not for recreation purposes. This is something that is a more passive tourism activity.
"So, we don't know what the state government's purpose is and as such. So that's what we don't want to guarantee, we can recommend this as one of the places, but whether the state government cares about a building and not much activities there, just a passive one, so we don't know.
With the growing revival of Papan as a heritage town, the installation of the historical signboard is seen as a crucial step in preserving its legacy.
Also present were the great-grandchildren of Rajah Billah, Fatimah Adnan, 75, Ahmad Mohd Dahlan, 87 and great grand niece Hafizah Kamaruddin formerly from Bernama.
