Temerloh is a municipality in central Pahang, Malaysia. Located about 130 kilometres (81 mi) from Kuala Lumpur along the Kuantan–Kuala Lumpur trunk road, Temerloh is the second largest urban area in Pahang after Kuantan, the state capital city. It is situated at the confluence of the Pahang and Semantan Rivers. Today, Temerloh usually refers to the territory under the administration of Temerloh Municipal Council which includes Mentakab, Lanchang, Kuala Krau and Kerdau.
An old town with some colonial buildings and shophouses, the town has prospered in recent years as a transport hub and new industrial centre. There have been many new commercial and industrial hubs built in Temerloh in recent years. Cutting travel time in half, the East Coast Expressway links the town to Kuala Lumpur and Kuantan and adds to the growth of Temerloh.
Etymology
The town was once called Kuala Semantan as it is situated at the Semantan River's confluence. The name Temerloh was derived from the Pahang Malaymereloh meaning sleep. It is said[by whom?] that Temerloh came about when a group of Minangkabau settlers, who came there to settle, noticed an Orang Asli (aborigine) who slept (mereloh) all day without a care in the world. Perhaps as a mark of amazement on such lazy conduct and perhaps for lack of other names, or probably just in jest, he then called the settlement Temerloh. Another more plausible theory claims the town's name is derived from the sleep place of Orang Asli which is called Tempat Mereloh. As the word Tempat Mereloh is hard to pronounce, the Minangkabau settlers shortened it to Temerloh as it is easier to pronounce.
Government
Temerloh Municipal Council (Malay: Majlis Perbandaran Temerloh) is the local authority of the whole of Temerloh District including Temerloh town. From 1 July 1981 until 14 January 1997, Temerloh town was governed by the Temerloh District Council (Malay: Majlis Daerah Temerloh), which was formed through the merger of Temerloh and Mentakab Town Council and the Local Councils of Kuala Krau, Kerdau and Lanchang. Temerloh District Council was upgraded to the present-day Municipal Council on 15 January 1997.[4]
Climate
Temerloh has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with no distinct seasons. Temperatures remain hot year round with warm nights. Precipitation peaks during the months of October to December.
Source: Sistema de Clasificación Bioclimática Mundial[5]
History
Damaged Temerloh bridge during 1971/72 flood.
According to Haji Zakaria Hitam, the modern-day Temerloh developed from a small settlement called Kuala Semantan. Kuala Semantan was actually a small old village at the bank of Semantan River. According to the folk story, the name Semantan came from the words Seman Tahan. Osman, or Seman Tahan as the villagers called him, is a Bruneian who settled at the small river connected to Pahang River. He mastered the martial art of silat, thus many people came all the way and settled here to learn silat from him. As Seman Tahan became popular among the villagers, they named the river Seman Tahan River. Thus, the town near the river was called Kuala Seman Tahan (kuala in Malay means 'river confluence'). The name Seman Tahan gradually became Semantan.
The Temerloh district, on the other hand was established on July 1, 1889, when J. P. Rodger, the first Pahang Resident divided Pahang state into six smaller administration areas (districts): Pekan, Rompin, Kuala Pahang, Kuantan, Temerloh and Hulu Pahang. The capital of Temerloh district then (1 July 1889) was Kuala Semantan. As Kuala Semantan begin to develop rapidly, the name Kuala Semantan was thought unsuitable as the kuala only refers to the river confluence. Hence, Kuala Semantan changed its name to Temerloh. Before the British colonization, Temerloh was governed by several headvillagers (village level) and Orang Besar (dignitaries) under the Pahang's administration of the Orang Besar System. The Temerloh people (then) were mainly Malay and Orang Asli; however, there were also small groups of Chinese and Arabs there.
Demographics
The following is based on the Department of Statistics Malaysia 2010 census.[3]
Temerloh is well-connected to Kuala Lumpur and Kuantan via the East Coast Expressway and the Karak Expressway. These expressways also link Temerloh to other major towns in Pahang such as Maran, Karak and Bentong. The new state-of-the-art Hospital Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah serves as the main hospital in Central Pahang apart from Hospital Mentakab and Hospital Jengka. To cater to various sports activities such as athletics and field games, Temerloh Stadium was built and is usually fully utilized during the weekends. There are many shopping places in Temerloh: The Store, Lurah Semantan, Seri Semantan, Bazaar Temerloh, and others. The East Coast Expressway project includes the Sultan Ahmad Shah II Bridge in Temerloh. It crosses the Pahang River, the longest river in west Malaysia.
Hotel Green Park, one of the best hotels in Temerloh, is the tallest building in the town.
Temerloh sits at the confluence of the Pahang and Semantan Rivers, attributing the town with an abundance of with freshwater fish species such as patin (Pangasius), jelawat (Leptobarbus hoevenii), baung (Hemibagrus nemurus), tenggalan (Puntioplites bulu), lampam (Barbonymus sp), belida (Chitala lopis), tilapia and kerai (Hypsibarbus wetmorei) . As the home of the patin fish, the local cuisine exhibits dishes that bring out the taste of the fish. Located along the town's riverside, the Sunday bazaar, Pekan Sehari, is a place where a wide range of commodities are sold at a reasonable price. The Pekan Sehari is said to be the longest and biggest in the whole of Pahang. The sellers normally come by riverboat early in the morning, and take their place before the customers arrive about 7:00 in the morning. Sunday mornings are busy when boats come and go ferrying passengers and goods to the Pekan Sehari.
Raft house on the Pahang River near Temerloh town.
Apart from its variety of fish, the town of Temerloh also offers a variety of jungle and wildlife experiences. The Kuala Krau Wildlife Reserve, a virgin forest reserve with untouched flora and fauna, is also where you can find the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre and the Seladang Breeding Center. Gunung Senyum Recreational Forest, a paradise for nature and cave lovers is just about 20 kilometres (12 mi) away. Located at Bukit Rengit, Lanchang, the Deerland Park features not only deer, allowing visitors to feed, touch, and learn about them, but also other animals such as ostrich, peacock, tuna deer,[clarification needed]nilgai (India) and wood duck (Canada). Home to the albino monkey, porcupine, black leopard, civet, the Malayan gharial crocodile and alligators, the town's mini zoo covers over 1.5 hectares (3.7 acres) of land, and is located at Jalan Bahagia, near Kampung Sungai Rabit. There's also a recreational park located right in the middle of Temerloh town, behind the courthouse, called Taman Bandar (Town Park). Among the facilities provided here are skateboard track, playground, jogging trails and a mini stadium.
E-Hailing service at Temerloh – MyCar Temerloh. MyCar allows passengers to find drivers in minutes.
By rail
The nearest train station to Temerloh is Mentakab train station apart from other minor stations which are situated at Sungai Belengu, Kerdau and Kuala Krau. The train service is provided by the KTMB. The East Coast Rail Link, a brand new higher-speed rail service will be serving the town in the future.
By water
The water transportation among the locals still exists especially for those who live on the banks of the Pahang River. Water transportation is a necessity, especially for the farmers to transport their crops as there is no bridge to connect both sides of the river.
Shopping
Semantan Walk
Mentakab Starmall (Pacific Hypermarket is one of the anchor tenants)
Pasaraya Darul Makmur
Pasaraya Terus Maju
Pasaraya Tunas Manja
Super Cowboy
TF Value-Mart
Temerloh Mall (TF Value-Mart is one of the anchor tenants)
Malaysia
