Once a small village along the Kinta River, Batu Gajah rose to prominence in 1881 when it became the new river port for the Papan mines. Three years later, it was chosen as the capital of Kinta Valley when Ipoh was still a dense, jungle village. Then known as the only town after Taiping, Batu Gajah became the administrative and social centre of Kinta given its favorable locality and terrain. While the rise of Ipoh soon attributed to its declining...
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