Culture of Bintan Island. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

Definitely visit Pulau Penyengat. The village, that takes all the space of a small island to the East of Bintan, was previously the real capital of the mighty Malaysian Empire. There was the residence of Riau Sultan, a lot of castles and temples, built in the early 19th century. The village was living in luxury. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to last long. The Sultan found out that the Hollanders want to conquer the city and he ordered to destroy every building in Pulau Penyengat. The order has been executed.

However, a couple of castles, the famous Royal Mausoleum and a mosque, which was built in 1818, remained till our time. By the way, the appeared to be a lot of rumors about the latter one throughout the years. According to the legend, the egg white was used during the construction, but nobody knows why. There is also the grave of Raji Ali Haji, the creator of the first Malaysian ABC. In Palau, there is a Holland fort, which was built by the colonizers after they had conquered the island.

Visit the capital of Bintan, Tanjung Pinang. Here you can still see the original houses on stilts, which were common in Indonesia for many centuries. There is a monument in the memory of Raja Haji Fisabilillah, who died fighting the Hollanders for Malacca in 1784. If you want, you can go to the center of Malaysian music and dances. Take some time and visit the historical museum in the capital. The history of the island, which was inhabited before our era, is very rich. In Medieval times, Bintan was the base of the Malaysian pirates, who robbed hundreds of Chinese ships. This is the reason, why there is a lot of Chinese ceramics in the museum’s exposition. If you want to learn about the local craftsmanship, you can go to the Sri Bintan Center. If you want to feel the spirit of the island, visit Tanjung Uban city – there are pelantars, wooden bridges, built right above the sea. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

You should certainly visit Senggarang village. The locals here preserved their original culture, despite the settlement was first created by the Chinese. There are amazing temples in the village. Sun Te Kong near the port is dedicated to the God of the sun. It was built when Senggarang was first inhabited. This was the place where local people asked for happiness and welfare. The temple of Marco was built to ask for a blessing from the changeable God of water. Tay Ti Kong is as old as the temple of Marco and is dedicated to the master of Earth. They still pray here for a good harvest. Banyan Tree looks quite original. This temple was built almost two centuries ago and is now covered with banyan tree from all sides. Two-hundred-year-old carved décor has still remained inside. The temple still makes a strong impression on pilgrims, being so close to nature literally and figuratively.

If you are visiting the local temples, don’t forget to buy or rent a sarong in a shop nearby. This is a traditional Indonesian cloth. You won’t be allowed inside without it. It is forbidden to enter with any kind of bleeding – this is a tradition. You should also remember that it is common is some temples to take your shoes off before entering, and no visitor should be taller than the priest, who holds the religious ceremony. Besides visiting multiple temples, you can learn about the local culture by visiting one of the remote villages. There you can observe the life of the Islanders, which hasn’t change much since the first settlers appeared in Bintan.