Bachok

Bachok
District of Malaysia
Motto: City of Islamic Tourism
(Malay: Bandar Pelancongan Islam)
Bachok

Peninsular Malaysia

Bachok

Location in Malaysia

Coordinates: 6°4′N 102°24′E / 6.067°N 102.400°ECoordinates: 6°4′N 102°24′E / 6.067°N 102.400°E
Country  Malaysia
State Kelantan Darul Naim
Seat Town Bachok
Government
  Type Council Government
  District officer Tuan Haji Norazman Bin Abd. Ghani
Area
  Total 280 km2 (110 sq mi)
Population (2010[1])
  Total 126,350[2]
Postal code 163xx
Vehicle registration plate prefix D (for all vehicles except taxis)

Bachok (Jawi: باچوك )is one of the administrative districts or jajahan in the state of Kelantan. Situated east and about 25 km from Kota Bharu. At present the population is predominantly Malays, with Chinese and Siamese make up as minorities. The main economy is agriculture apart from fishing, business and working in government and private sectors. Bachok Town is the centre of administration, business and transportation of the district. Other smaller towns are shown in the map below are famous for their wet markets and fair price groceries for the local folk.

Bachok Town or Bandar Bachok, recently declared as The Islamic Tourism Town or Bandar Pelancongan Islam by the incumbent mentri besar of Kelantan, Tuan Guru Hj. Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat effective 7 December 2010 equivalent to 1 Muharram 1432 H.[3]

Origin of name

There are several versions of the origin of the name of Bachok.

According to one version, Bachok was named after a person called Tok Bachok(atif), who was believed to be the first settler in the area. Traders from China anchored in Pengkalan Cina in Bachok long time ago to trade silk and spices.

The more popular version of the origin of Bachok's name, according to local inhabitants, originated from two Siamese words, Ban and Chak. Ban means village and Chak means nipa (a native mangrove plant). The local Siamese called and still call this place Ban Chak, originally referring to the more populated and possibly a much earlier settlement immediately to the south of Bachok town, the actual Kampung Nipah today. The Bachok town was possibly part of the larger Kampung Nipah then. The pronunciation of Ban Chak was later invariably changed to Bachok to suit the local Malay accent.

Cities and towns[4]

In exercise of the powers conferred by subsection 4 (3) of the Local Government Act 1976, the State Authority in consultation with the Minister of Housing and Local Government and the Secretary of the Election Commission hereby after the boundaries of Bachok District Council as the areas specified in the Schedule.

District Sub District Area (km²) Malay Chinese Others Chieftain
PerupokPerupok-----
PerupokKemasin6----
PerupokNipah2----
PerupokPaya Mengkuang4----
PerupokBandar Bachok3----
GunongBator19----
GunongGunong19----
GunongKubang Telaga10----
GunongTepus9----
GunongJelawat2----
Tanjong PauhTanjung Pauh4----
Tanjong PauhPak Pura8----
Tanjong PauhTanjung Jering4----
MahligaiAlor Bakat8----
MahligaiMak Lipah4----
MahligaiSerdang7----
MelawiMelawi6----
MelawiRepek15----
MelawiRusa16----
MelawiKuau4----
TawangGajah Mati6---Zulkifli Awang 'To
TawangPauh Sembilan122,634--Mohd Noor Awang Lah
TawangSenak102,634--Yusoff Mohamed
TawangTelok Mesira72,634--Mat Jusoh bin Latiff
TawangTanjong52,634--Abdul Hamid Zakaria
TelongTelong36----
TelongLubuk Tembesu28---Ramli bin Awang
BekelamChap62,634--Mat Jusoh bin Latiff
BekelamCherang Hangus31,525190-Hj. Nawawi bin hanafi
BekelamKuchelong73,019--Mohd Yusof bin Awang
BekelamTemu Ranggas52,602--Marjan bin Mohamad Nawi
BekelamTualang Salak31,512--Manan bin Hamzah

Economy

Kenaf Plantation[5]

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) is a tropical plant of the mallow family that yields a fibre resembling jute that can be used for the production of cordage and textiles. Kenaf can be harvested after 120 days and its planting cycle is three seasons annually.

According to National Tobacco Board (NTB) , the pioneer batch of Kenaf-growing farmers in Kelantan have proven that the crop is a good alternative to tobacco that has become less competitive in the plantation industry. It is expected to export 50,000 tonnes of Kenaf annually, valued at RM15 billion. This would make Kenaf the country's major commodity by the year 2010, he said, adding that the Republic of Korea is expected to be the first importing country for Malaysias Kenaf, at 50,000 tonnes a year.

The Kenaf-planting project, that is capable of producing 15,000 tonnes of Kenaf per hectare, provides the tobacco farmers an alternative source of income when the AFTA is enforced. Under the projects initial phase, some 1,000 hectares of land would be planted with Kenaf including 700 hectares in Kelantan. Two Kenaf-processing mills were constructed at Air Tawar in Pasir Puteh and Beris Lalang (Bachok).The mill which is equipped with RM600,000 worth of machinery is able to process 10 tonnes of Kenaf during eight hours of operations daily. The processed Kenaf is exported to Germany and Korea.

Area Number of Farmers Area (Km2)
Telaga Ara 8 15
Gelong Badak 2320
Seneng 15 30
Gong Gajah 5 10
Total Bachok District 51 75

Transportation[6]

Bus

• No. 23 Route : Bachok-Jelawat-Bekelam-Bukit Marak-Kubang Kerian-Kota Bharu Fare : RM3.20

• No. 39 Route: Bachok-Beris Kubur Besar-Kubang Kerian-Kota Bharu TFare: RM 2.90

• No. 21A Route: Bachok-Tawang-Wakaf Aik-Kedai Lalat-Kota Bharu Fare: RM3.80

Hire Car

• Total : Approx 15 Vehicles • Fare/Per Person : RM5.00 • Travel Time : 30 Minute (25 km)

Boat

• Destination : to Pulau Perhentian (from Pengkalan Petah) • Fare : Approx. RM35.00 • Travel Time: According to Customer’s Request

Trishaw

• Destination: Only within Jelawat • Fare: RM1.00 – RM1.50 (Per ride/Route & Load)

Hire Motor

• Destination: Gunung, Jelawat, Seneng • Replacing Hire Cars / Taxis to nearby villages • Fare: Approx. RM1.50-RM2.00 One way / According to route

Places of interest

Pantai Irama

This beach is facing the South China Sea with wide and long sandy beach. Pantai Irama (Beach of Melody) is popular among the locals and visitors and hence, during the weekends (Friday and Saturday), the beach will be packed with family and children. It is also a common place to hold concerts and events. It is situated along the main road of Bachok, Kota Bahru.

Pantai Irama got its name from the gently hushing sound of the sea breeze. It's known to be the most beautiful beach in Kelantan and is a common hang out place for families and friends. The beauty of the beach does not lie only to its clear blue water, but also to the facilities available for visitors. Apart from basic facilities like motels, public toilets and restaurants, there are also water sports, boat for hire and barbecue facilities to make your visit more interesting. Other beautiful beach around the region is Pantai Bisikan Bayu (beach of Whispering Breeze) and Pantai Cahaya Bulan (Moonlight Beach) which are also well known for their beauty in Kelantan.

If you are coming from Kuala Lumpur, take the Karak highway to Kuantan and then to Kota Bahru. The journey will take about 7-8 hour drive. There are also express buses running from most major towns and Singapore to Kota Bahru. Alternatively, fly in from Kuala Lumpur will only take 1 hour and you will land atKota Bahru airport, which is 20 mins drive from town.

Pantai Irama Bachok (Beach of Melody) is located 20 km southeast from Kota Bahru. You can either take a taxi or catch bus No.2A or 2B to Pantai Irama, Bachok.

Bukit Marak

Bukit Marak (literally Shining Hill) is a village in Bachok, Kelantan, Malaysia, located about 24 kilometres (15 mi) south of the state capital Kota Bharu. It is famous as the childhood home of Puteri Saadong, and thus has great significance in the history of the Sultanate of Kelantan.

The village derives its name from a local hill, one of the last hillocks in the district. The hill has some attractions for tourists, and draws thousands of visitors every weekend both for hiking and for sightseeing. Among these are a famous pool in which Puteri Saadong was believed to have bathed, and three granite rocks at the peak of the hill resembling Puteri Saadong's favourite musical instrument. However, the hill is being negatively affected by excavation of soil for use in land reclamation; local villagers are said to be selling soil from the hill at RM40 for one lorry-load. Aside from the damage to the historical site, this also may introduce the danger of mudslides and landslides during the monsoon season. The state government has offered to purchase the hill from its owners in accordance with the National Heritage Act 2005, in order to prevent further damage.

Kandis Resource Centre

Founded by the late Rashiddin Nik Nik Hussein and formally established in 2000. KRC many treasures of art -oriented Malay carving art langkasuka tombstone grave , rehal , pulpit , wall decor , architecture mosques and palaces of the east coast of Malaysia and Patani , Thailand is unique with its own motives . KRC uniqueness coupled with a genuine Terengganu-styled home has aged more than 100 years which has been made a gallery and open to all visitors. Located in Kg . Kandis about 13 km from the city of Bachok via the local road D 11 to Tok Bali . The Mini Post Kandis is sign before entering the junction into KRC.

Kampung Balai

Kampung Balai is a village in Bachok and It is located approximately 20 kilometers southeast of Kota Bharu. While ‘’Balai’’ means ‘’hall’’ in Malay, there is no known historical correlation between the village and ‘’hall’’. However, according to local inhabitants, “Balai” is derived from ‘’Ban Malai” or ‘’flower village’’ in Thai language. It is believed that the low-lying area where the rice field was, now planted with tobacco, was once a shallow lake filled with flowering lotus. History

The Thais of this village are believed to be originated from central Thailand more than 200 years ago when Kelantan was a tributary of the Kingdom of Siam. Their spoken Thai language is distinctly different from other Thais in Kelantan who generally speak the southern “Tak Bai” Thai language.

The village was most probably opened by these Thais or the Chinese.

The Chinese, mostly from Fujian, China came to the village probably at the same time with the Thais to develop the village. Some of the Chinese are of eighth or ninth generation descendants. Virtually all of them have lost contact with their ancestral roots in China. Demographics

The lingua franca among the villagers is mainly Thai although all the Chinese and most of the Thais could also speak, to some degree of competency, Kelantan Hokkien (Min Nan). All of them are fluent Malay speakers and some, especially the younger generation, could converse in Mandarin as well. They are predominantly Buddhists. The Chinese also observe traditional Chinese practices.

There are three Buddhist temples in the village i.e. Wat Phathumviharn, Wat Phithikyan Phutthaktham[7][8] and a Kuan Yin temple located at seaside facing the South China Sea.

Wat Phithikyan Phutthaktham

It is better known simply as Wat Balai or Dragon Temple to the locals, on account of the pair of dragons flanking the entrance.

Wat Phothikyan Phutthaktham began as a modest temple some twenty years ago. It became more active when a Thai came over and started various activities, including initiating a building fund for the temple. As a result, it underwent massive expansion in recent years, including the construction of a 100-foot tall statue of a standing Buddha. Other sights at Wat Phothikyan Phutthaktham includes the wishing three, where devotees threw their wishes onto its branches, and the seated Buddha image behind a seven-headed naga.

The small towns of Beris Kubor Besar (kg Pak Pura), Perupok, Jelawat and Wakaf Zin are famous for their wet markets and competitive groceries prices.

Education[9]

Tertiary Education

Pondok Institutions

Secondary Education

Secondary Religious School

Primary Education

References