Kajang

Kajang, is a town in the eastern part of Selangor, Malaysia. Kajang is the district capital of Hulu Langat. It is located 21 kilometers (13 mi) from Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur.

The current locational gravity of growth in Kajang would be Sungai Chua. The total population of Kajang has grown rapidly in the past few years, with estimated population growth of 9% per annum. The soon-to-be-realised Klang Valley MRT station in Bandar Kajang will boost the property value in Sungai Chua.

As of 2004, a few townships have been developed in Kajang, such as Taman Prima Saujana (straight from Jalan Cheras), Sungai Chua, Taman Kajang Perdana (Kajang Highlands). Lately, many high-end developments has mushroomed in Kajang such as Twin Palms, Sri Banyan, Country Heights, Jade Hills and Prima Paramount.

Areas surrounding these new townships are easily accessible via the SILK Expressway. Kajang is governed by the Majlis Perbandaran Kajang.

History

The night view of Kajang town from Bukit Mewah

The first settlement in Kajang was established in 1709. In 1807, Kajang was founded after the Klang War. Because of its central location, it was made the district capital of Hulu Langat.

Kajang as a modern town owes its rise in particular to the coffee estates which were opened up around it in the 1890s. One of the famous coffee estates were Inch Kenneth Estate managed by the Kindersley brothers who were among the first to plant rubber in the country on a commercial basis. Another was Perang Besar (Great War) Estate, opened by some British ex-servicemen led by Colonel Henry Gough, who was the pioneer of bud-grafting of rubber trees in the country.

Demographics

Kajang's population of 342,657 is 60.4% Malay, 19.3% Chinese, 9.7% Indians, and 10.6% other ethnic groups.

Kajang's main population centres are Sg. Kantan, Sg.Jelok, Sg.Ramal, Sungai Chua, Sg. Sekamat, Bandar Mahkota, Jalan Reko, Jalan Bukit, Bandar Sungai Long, Bandar Tun Hussein Onn, Cheras Perdana, Taman Prima Saujana, Taman Kantan Permai, Taman Kajang Perdana, Taman Sri Ramal, Taman Kajang Prima.

Landmarks

Masjid Kajang

The center of Kajang is the bustling Old Town, where all the roads meet. Most of the colonial-era buildings were constructed around 1920s to 1930s. The architecture of these shophouses is a combination of traditional Chinese and European designs. The ground floor was used mostly for commercial activities and the upper floor as the family living quarter.

One of Kajang's landmarks is Stadium Kajang which is situated in the heart of the town. It is near a popular hangout place among the locals named Haji Samuri, which is also home to the famous dish satay Kajang. People come from all over Malaysia to taste the satay here. The stadium can accommodate up to 5,000 people and is used throughout the year for the community soccer competitions.

Another landmark is the Kajang Mosque or Masjid Kajang, which is easily recognisable by its bright yellow facade. The mosque was painted and decorated by a local wealthy man, Datuk Ujang bin Bagong, for the benefit of the local Muslims. The mosque is lively at night with Islamic activities.

Transportation

Kajang is well connected with many major highway and expressway like Kajang Dispersal Link Expressway as a ring road of Kajang,Cheras-Kajang Expressway (CKE, ),North-South Expressway (NSE) (Malay: Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan) with Kajang exit and Kajang-Seremban Expressway (LEKAS, ) at the south of Kajang near Semenyih. Because the position of Kajang between three major city (Kuala Lumpur, Seremban and Putrajaya), this city is included in Klang Valley or Greater Kuala Lumpur. Public transport available in Kajang are bus, taxi, and train.

Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn Bhd
(RapidKL) is the one of the bus operators in the city. RapidKL serves the buses between Kuala Lumpur by trunk bus U40 : Terminal Jalan Sultan Mohamad - Pudu LRT - Maluri LRT- Terminal Bas Kajang via Jalan Cheras - Terminal Jalan Sultan Mohamad ,U41 : Terminal Jln Sultan Mohamad - Serdang KTM Komuter -Jusco Cheras Selatan -Bdr Mahkota Cheras- Jusco Mahkota Cheras- Bdr Sg Long - Terminal Jln Sultan Mohamad and region bus ,T430 : Pekan Kajang - Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) - Pekan Kajangand T431 : Terminal Bas Kajang - MARA Polytech - Terminal Bas Kajang. Other bus operators such as Cityliner (bus between Kajang and Seremban)and Bas Mini.KTM Komuter is a commuter train service trough Kajang by Rawang-Seremban Route and stop at Kajang Komuter station.

By 2010 under one of the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) and under the Government Transformation Programme (GTP), the federal government have announced to improve the public transport system by building a Mass Rapid Transit ‘”(MRT)”’ system in theKlang Valley/Greater KL. Kajang is included in this system with nine stations within the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) area. Out of this nine, three would be at the Kajang town centre. It began construction in June 2011 and full operation is expected to commence in 2016.

Food & Tourism

Bangunan Dato' Nazir where Sate Kajang Haji Samuri is situated

Kajang is famous for its sate (alternate spelling satay), a form of skewered barbecued meat. Informally, Kajang is known as the "Satay Town", and is famous among tourists and locals alike. The most famous place to eat satay is Haji Samuri as well as Restoran Malaysia.

Overnight accommodations include Metro Inn, Crystal Oriental Hotel, Hotel Kajang, Uptown Hotel and Kah Chong Hotels which are located within a 2 km (1.2 mi) radius of the town center.

Shopping[edit]

Tesco Kajang is at Saujana Impian area in Kajang

Kajang has a number of new and old shopping complexes. The Billion Shopping Center in Kajang town has been around for more than 20 years. It was originally located in the heart of Kajang town and now has a new and larger branch in Bandar Technologi Kajang. Other shopping centres located in Kajang are Metro Plaza Kajang, Metro Point, and Kompleks Kota Kajang. Metro Avenue is a new shopping district located opposite SMJK Yu Hua Kajang and Kajang High School.

There has been a boom of hypermarkets in Kajang in the past 5 years, marked by the emergence of Giant stores, Tesco Kajang and Jusco Cheras Selatan.

Facilities & Amenities

Kajang Plaza

Public hospitals are found within and around Kajang town are Hospital Kajang, Hospital Serdangand Hospital Putrajaya. There are also private medical centers functioning 24 hours and other 24-hour clinics such as Klinik Mediviron Prima Saujana, Kajang Plaza Medical Centre (KPMC) and KPJ Kajang Specialist Hospital. Colombia Asia hospital have started operations since 2011 near Jusco Cheras Selatan.

The Hulu Langat District Police Headquarters are located in the town center. Other services include the post office, government clinics, a stadium, food court and a wet market. Many federal government agencies are open their branch in Kajang including the National Registration Department, Immigration Department and Hulu Langat Education Office. Transportation Department offices have start the operation at Section 7, Bandar Baru Bangi in 2010.

Education

Primary

SK Sungai Kantan

• Al-Amin
• SK Convent Kajang
• SK Jalan Bukit 1
• SK Jalan Bukit 2
• SK Jalan Semenyih 1
• SK Jalan Semenyih 2
• SK Kajang
• SK Kantan Permai
• SK Leftenan Adnan
• SK Saujana Impian
• SK Saujana Impian 2
• SK Taman Jasmin
• SK Taman Sri Jelok
• SRJK(C)Yu Hua
• SRJK(C) Sungai Chua
• SRJK(T)Kajang
• Tanarata International Schools

Secondary[edit]

• SM Teknik Kajang
• SMAP Kajang
• SMJK Yu Hua Kajang
• SMK Convent Kajang
• SMK Jalan Bukit
• SMK Jalan Reko
• SMK Kajang Utama
• SMK Saujana Impian
• SMK Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (SAAS)
• SMK Taman Jasmin 2
• SMK Tinggi Kajang (Kajang High School)
• SMKA Maahad Hamidiah
• Tanarata International Schools

New Era University College

Tertiary

Kajang is also close or home to institutions of higher learning, which includes:

• Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)
• Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
• Kuala Lumpur Infrastructure University College (KLIUC)
• University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
• Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)
• Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)
• New Era University College
• German-Malaysian Institute (GMI)
• Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysia France Institute (MFI)
• Universiti Kuala Lumpur Medical Science and Technology (MESTECH)

However, some of these institutions are located within the greater metropolitan area of Kajang, in nearby areas such as Semenyih, Bandar Baru Bangi and Serdang.

Famous People from Kajang

Lt Adnan Bin Saidi, the hero of Battle of Singapore in Bukit Chandu during World War II

• Ning Baizura, a famous female singer.
• Mohd Safee Mohd Sali, a famous football player
• K. Sanbagamaran, a famous football player
• Dato Dr Fadhilah Kamsah, motivator.
• Nora Danish, actress.
• K-Town Clan rappers
• Tarun OverZest, famous VJ
• Young Ruff, famous Rapper
• Barani Kumar @ Barani Kajang 6 lubang, famous
• Devan Mohan @ Don SAMSA, famous Don