THE Mandailings clans gathered in Papan to commemorate the 100th death anniversary of their leader Raja Bilah recently.
Some 200 people turned at the get together at Rumah Besar, which was built by Raja Bilah, for prayers last Saturday.
Raja Bilah died at Papan on June 9, 1911.
The descendants met for lunch and listened to a talk on the clan’s history by Abdur-Razzaq Lubis, a fellow Mandaling.
Solemn affair: Prayers for Raja Bilah in the large hall of Rumah Besar with octagonal columns which symbolise that the building was erected with the support of the people from the eight directions of the compass.
Abdur-Razzaq and his wife Khoo Salma Nasution wrote the book Raja Bilah And The Mandailings In Perak: 1875-1911.
Raja Bilah’s great granddaughter Hafizah Kamaruddin said the descendants and clansmen came from Kelantan, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Chemor, Pusing, Batu Gajah and Ayer Tawar to commemorate the death anniversary.
“It is the first gathering of the Mandailings of this size in recent years. Many of us had lost touch with each other,” she said.
She said through such gathering, they hoped they could network better and keep in touch often.
Hafizah said the Department of Heritage and Antiquities has recently carried out restoration work on Rumah Besar.
“We want to preserve this house, known as Bagas Godang to the Mandailings, for family gatherings to pass down the family history and culture to the younger generation,” she said.
Ladies of the house: Three descendants of Raja Bilah from different generations at Rumah Asal next to Rumah Besar in Papan.
Hafizah said Raja Bilah and the people of Papan had lived in harmony and he even allowed the Chinese to be buried on his land.
“In Papan, the Malay and Chinese cemeteries are located side-by-side. The Malays buried their dead on the western side, facing Mecca, while the Chinese tombs are on the eastern side. This is really the 1Malaysia spirit,” said Hafizah.
Abdur-Razzaq, who spent many years studying the Mandailing community, said the exodus of the Mandailing people from western Sumatra to the peninsula took place after the Minangkabau influenced by Wahabi religious ideology invaded their homelands in 1820.
He said Raja Bilah, who was born in 1834 in Kotanapan, Tapanuli Selatan, came to Papan in 1877 with his family and followers to farm and mine tin.
He was appointed Penghulu Mukim Belanja in Kinta by the British colonial government in 1882.
Raja Bilah was also the revenue collector and peacekeeper of Papan.
He said Raja Bilah first built a timber house called Rumah Asal in 1882 before he constructed Rumah Besar four years later.
“From the outside, Rumah Besar looks similar to the mansions of the rich Malay aristocracy and Kinta Chinese miners. “
“The difference is that its ground floor is a large hall with octagonal columns and a raised platform. The eight-sided columns symbolise the building’s construction with the support of people from eight directions of the compass,” he said. According to family members, Raja Bilah did not live in the house.
It was only used for weddings, feasts and other receptions. It was also a gathering place for the Mandailings and other Muslims of western Kinta, many of whom came to Raja Bilah with their problems and proposals especially after the weekly Friday prayers.