Batu Gajah

History

Famous for its tin mining long before the Independence Day of Malaya, Batu Gajah had been an ideal place for Chinese immigrants to stay and work during those years. This contributes to a significant percentage of Chinese in the population of Batu Gajah today. The Indian Settlement village (the name was changed to Kampung Baru Desa Changkat) at Changkat has a large Indian population of Tamils and also a small minority of Punjabis who built a Sikh temple which becomes the pride of the residents and a landmark in the village today. Batu Gajah had an established pre-war British English school, which was renamed Sultan Yussuf School (SYS) after the war. The Sultan of Perak DYMM Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Yussuf Izzuddin Shah Ghafarullahu-lah is an alumnus of this school. Formerly known as the Government English School (GES), it was founded by Mr. Malai Perumal Pillay in 1907. The school was built from the rubble of an old jail. Over the years, it has produced many successful students. Batu Gajah since lies on the bank of Sungai Kinta, a little downstream from the major confluence of Sungai Raya. It started out as one of the many villages of mukim Sungai Terap, developed under its titular chief, the Sri Amar DiRaja, the early 19th century.

Most-observed species

• Asian Glossy Starling

  Aplonis panayensis (Scopoli, 1786) · Aves
  482
• Spotted Dove

  Spilopelia chinensis (Scopoli, 1786) · Aves
  440
• Zebra Dove

  Geopelia striata (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  430
• Yellow-vented Bulbul

  Pycnonotus goiavier (Scopoli, 1786) · Aves
  416
• White-throated Kingfisher

  Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  357
• Eurasian Tree Sparrow

  Passer montanus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  340
• Javan Myna

  Acridotheres javanicus Cabanis, 1851 · Aves
  308
• Black-naped Oriole

  Oriolus chinensis Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  292