History of Gua Tempurung

...HISTORY...

      The cave was first identified in 1887 in the Map of Perak-Malay Peninsula, which indicated a mountain spelt as “Gunong Tempoo Rong”. The Department of Minerals and Geosciences estimated the age of the rock formations in the area of Gua Tempurung to be between 250 and 400 million years. The cave was also known locally as Gua Perah. Perah is a type of fruit similar to rubber seed. In the old days, there were many Perah trees near the cave. Before 1935, tin mining activities on small scale took place in the cave. During the World War 11 (1939 – 1945), the cave became a refuge for locals from the invading Japanese. The Malayan Emergency period (1948-1960) saw the cave being used by the communists as their hideout. The cave walls have hand drawn pictures and words by the communists. There are also inscription of hate slogans and song lyrics against the Japanese army.       

   

    After the Emergency period, mining activities in the area resumed. In 1975, the Perak State Government appointed a cave researcher and enthusiast, J. Crowter of the German Society of Caving to carry out research on Gua Tempurung and to help turn it to become a recreation area and a tourist attraction. Circa 1994, the State Government carried out a feasibility study and in 1995, work to develop Gua Tempurung as a destination began in stages. The cave was open to the public in November 1997 and entrance fees were introduced and collected by a joint-venture company formed by Yayasan Perak and a private company, which managed and maintained the place as one of the state’s tourist attractions.

   

    In 2004, the State Government appointed APT Consortium Sdn Bhd to take over the management and maintenance of Gua Tempurung and the appointment remained valid till today. The cave continues to attract both locals and foreign tourists, with many coming from Europe, Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Singapore and other countries in the Asian region. The number of tourists has been increasingly steadily from more than 50,000 in 2005 to over 70,000 the following year.