Gua Musang District

Gua Musang District
District of Malaysia
Flag
Country	Malaysia
State	Kelantan Darul Naim
Seat	Gua Musang
Government
• District officer	n/a
Area
• Total	8,177 km2 (3,157 sq mi)
Population (2015)
• Total	120,000
• Density	15/km2 (38/sq mi)

Gua Musang is a town, district and parliamentary constituency in southern Kelantan, Malaysia. It is the largest district in Kelantan. Gua Musang is administered by the Gua Musang District Council. Gua Musang district is bordered by the state of Pahang to the south, Terengganu to the east, Perak to the west and the Kelantanese districts of Kuala Krai and Jeli to the north. It is a small railway town about 160 kilometers south of Kuala Krai. Gua Musang is represented by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in the Dewan Rakyat. The town lies on the railway line from Tumpat to Gemas.

Geography

A view of downtown Gua Musang (January 2009).

Gua Musang literally means "Fox Cave". On the eastern side of this town stands Bukit Gua Musang, a barren hill of rocks and deceptive stone-steps running 105 meters high. It stands in a commanding position, with a huge cave running into its interior and is about meters away from the other green tree-covered hills. From a distance, this hill looks like a stone pillar with a big crack which nearly splits it vertically into two equal halves. Between the hill and the town, there runs a railway track.

Transportation

Car

Two federal routes, 8 and 185 intersect near Gua Musang. Route 8 leads to the state administrative centre of Kota Bharu northwards; while route 185 connects Simpang Pulai near Ipoh in Perak in the west to Kuala Jenderis in Hulu Terengganu in Terengganu in the east.

Public transport

Gua Musang is served by the KTM Intercity Eastern Sector which runs between Tumpat (also in Kelantan) and Gemas in Negeri Sembilan.

Demographics

Gua Musang as of 2009, has a population of 100,400 people

Ranking Population Jajahan Gua Musang.

Rank	Daerah/Mukim	Population 2000
1	Galas(Town)	31,814
2	Chiku(kel)	26,251
3	Bertam	16,923

Politics

Gua Musang is represented in the Malaysian Parliament by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah from UMNO. The parliamentary constituency in turn contributes 3 seats to the Kelantan State Legislative Assembly, namely Galas, Nenggiri and Paloh. All three seats were also held by UMNO.

Folklore

It was believed that long ago this town was inhabited by some superstitious hunters who made offerings of animals in front of the cave of Bukit Gua Musang. One afternoon a raging storm broke out and the huts of the hunters were destroyed. At the height of the storm a bolt of lightning struck the summit of the hill and nearly split it in two. The hunters, believing that the God of the Cave was angry with them, knelt down and began to pray. As they were praying they saw a huge pack of foxes (or musang in Malay) running into the cave. At once, they seized their bows and arrows and lay in wait for the foxes. They waited the whole evening but the foxes did not emerge, not even when the storm had stopped. From then on, the inhabitants called the cave Gua Musang.

A month after this strange event, seven young hunters climbed the hill but only one came back alive. He told the villagers that when he and his six companions were halfway up the hill, a length of stone staircase appeared before them. They climbed the staircase and upon reaching the summit they found a tree, under which, stood a bowl of pure water. The young men, with the exception of one, drank the water in the bowl to quench their thirst. Before the others could persuade him to drink, the bowl vanished. They grew afraid and quickly began to descend. Suddenly a blood-chilling cry was heard. The hunter turned quickly but it was too late! His six friends had disappeared from sight. He rushed down the slope but there was no sign of any dead bodies at the bottom of the hill.

He concluded that the "God of the Cave" had taken his friends and had spared him because he had not drunk the water in the bowl. Most of the villagers did not believe the young man's story. They were sure that the other six must have slipped and fallen, but the bodies of the missing hunters were never found.

Places of interest

Gua Musang is close to the northern gateway to Taman Negara (National Park), which is at Sg Relau near Merapoh in Pahang. The small village of Merapoh is just south of Gua Musang and serves as a popular starting point for those who want to scale Gunung Tahan. The untouched tropical rainforest in Taman Negara is among the oldest in the world. It is well known for its biodiversity and is home to many endangered species of animals and plants.

Gua Musang is surrounded by limestone hills and caves, which have become popular with cavers and rock climbers.

Another interesting place to visit in Gua Musang is a Buddhist temple in Pulai, which is purportedly 400 years old.

Nenggiri River is a favourite among those who enjoy river rafting. There is also a rafting race, called Nenggiri Challenge. Archaeological sites can be found in caves, such as Gua Cha, Chawan and Jaya, which are situated along the river.

Shopping

• Pasaraya Econjaya Gua Musang
• Tunas Manja Supermarket, Bandar Utama
• Pasaraya KU
• Pasaraya Sakan
• Gedung Ten TEN
• TF Value-Mart Bandar Saujana Harmoni (Opening Soon)
• Tesco Hypermarket (proposed)
• MYDIN Mall Kota Sejahtera (planning)

External links

• Gua Musang District Council
• Kesedar Travel
• Gua Musang Dot Net Portal
• Caving Gua Musang
• Rock Climbing at Taman Etnobotani Gua Musang