Bidor

Bidor (Chinese: 美罗) is a small town in the district of Batang Padang, Perak, Malaysia.

Geography

Bidor is located between Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur via the North-South Expressway. It is south of Tapah, north of Sungkai, east of Changkat Jong and Teluk Intan and west of the Titiwangsa Mountains.

History

Bidor used to be part of the Gangga Negara kingdom based on the historical artifacts that were discovered. It is believed that the area accepted Hindu-Buddhism around 900 years ago. The pioneer of the town was believed to be Syeikh Abdul Ghani who also became the village headman after the founding of the settlements.

Bidor was believed to have existed as a small village by the bank of Bidor River in the late 18th century. Local villagers transported goods using their sampans (boats) to neighbouring villages along the river towards Teluk Intan in Hilir Perak district.

Following the tin-mining boom in Perak, there was an influx of Chinese immigrants to Perak as a whole, including Bidor. The Hoklo (Hokkien-speaking) Chinese was believed to have originated from Teluk Intan. The influx of the Hakka and Cantonese came from Kinta Valley and Hulu Selangor. They came to Batang Padang to flee the local civil wars and Chinese triad wars.