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Sungai Petani

Coordinates: 5°39′N 100°30′E / 5.650°N 100.500°E / 5.650; 100.500
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For the federal constituency represented in the Dewan Rakyat, see Sungai Petani (federal constituency).
Sungai Petani
Town
Other transcription(s)
 • Jawiسوڠاي ڤتاني
 • Chinese双溪大年 (Simplified)
雙溪大年 (Traditional)
 • Tamilசுங்கை பட்டாணி
Official seal of Sungai Petani
Seal
Nickname: 
SP
Map
Location in Sungai Petani in Kedah
Sungai Petani is located in Malaysia
Sungai Petani
Sungai Petani
   Sungai Petani in    Malaysia
Sungai Petani is located in Southeast Asia
Sungai Petani
Sungai Petani
Sungai Petani (Southeast Asia)
Sungai Petani is located in Asia
Sungai Petani
Sungai Petani
Sungai Petani (Asia)
Coordinates: 5°39′N 100°30′E / 5.650°N 100.500°E / 5.650; 100.500
Country Malaysia
State Kedah
DistrictKuala Muda District
Granted municipality status2 July 1994
Government
 • TypeLocal government
 • BodySungai Petani Municipal Council
 • PresidentSyed Khairol Anuar Syed Abidin
Population
 (2020)[1]
 • Total
544,851
Time zoneUTC+8 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)Not observed
Postcode
08xxx
Area code(s)04-4xxxxxxx
Vehicle registrationK
Websitepbt.kedah.gov.my/index.php/majlis-perbandaran-sungai-petani/

Sungai Petani (abbr. Sg. Petani or SP; Chinese: 双溪大年; Tamil: சுங்கை பட்டாணி) is a town in Kuala Muda District, Kedah, Malaysia. Sungai Petani is Kedah's largest city and is located about 55 km south of Alor Setar, the capital of Kedah, and 33 km northeast of George Town, the capital city of the neighbouring state of Penang.[2][3]

Etymology

The name of the municipality is taken from the name of a river, which is Sungai Petani (Petani River), a tributary of Merbok River. The word Petani might be related to the province of Pattani in Thailand. The word is said to derive from a Sanskrit word 'pathini', meaning "virgin nymph"; Pathini was the name of a daughter of Merong Mahawangsa, founder of the preceding Langkasuka Empire. When Kedah was known under the name of Langkasuka, traders always travelled between Merbok Valley and Pattani, and the eastern parts of Peninsular Malaysia through land routes. Thus it is not impossible that the word 'Petani' is borrowed from the name of the princess.[4]. "Petani" also means farmer in Malay, but it is unlikely that this is the origin of the city name as there are no sources pointing it to be the case.

Transportation

Sungai Petani railway station is served by rail services such as KTM ETS, a higher-speed rail service connecting major cities in Malaysia.[5][6] The station is also one of the stops for KTM Komuter Northern Sector, a local commuter-rail service under KTM Komuter that connects major town in Penang, Kedah, and Perlis.[7][8]

Long-distance and local bus services are also available at Ukir Square. Besides being a bus terminal, this multi-purpose building also houses the Urban Transformation Centre or UTC that provides the community a centralised location for main government agencies, public amenities and services of private sectors.[9][10]

The nearest airport is the Penang International Airport on Penang Island. Another alternative airport is the Sultan Abdul Halim Airport, Alor Star (the state capital of Kedah).

Sungai Petani also served by North-South Expressway, an expressway that connects the town with major cities in Malaysia's West Coast.[11][12]

Service and Amenities

Healthcare

Sungai Petani has various health amenities. Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital, a USD150-million hospital, is a public government hospital opened in 2007 that was built to replace a smaller hospital. The Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital was handed over by the Public Works Department to the Ministry of Health on July 23, 2006. It has 498 beds and provides secondary and tertiary specialist services[13][14] There are also other various private medical facilities. They are Pantai Hospital Laguna Merbok[15] (formerly known as Amanjaya Specialist Centre), Pantai Hospital Sungai Petani,[16] and Metro Specialist Hospital.[17]

Education

Primary and Secondary

Kuala Muda Yan District Education Office administers the primary and secondary education of two districts, Kuala Muda (where Sungai Petani is located) and Yan. Sungai Petani hosts a large number of reputable schools such as the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Ibrahim[18] which was established in 1919 and Sekolah Menengah Sains Sultan Mohamad Jiwa.[19] Other schools include Convent Father Barre (Primary and Secondary), Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bakar Arang, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Khir Johari, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bandar Sungai Petani, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tunku Ismail, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sungai Pasir, Sekolah Menengah Teknik Sungai Petani 1 & 2, SJK(T) Saraswathy, Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan Sin Min, and SJK(C) Sin Kwang. There is also Maktab Rendah Sains MARA Merbok in Merbok, about 11 km northwest of Sungai Petani.[20]

Tertiary

AIMST University

The AIMST University (the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology), was previously in Amanjaya. The university offers a variety of professional courses, including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, biotechnology, materials technology, engineering, and computer science and information technology.[21][22]

Universiti Teknologi Mara has a branch campus at Merbok, Sungai Petani.[23] Another government institution with campuses in Sungai Petani include Institusi Kemahiran Malaysia (IKM),[24][25] Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Sultan Abdul Halim (IPG KSAH), an institution set up by the government to provide teaching courses for trainee teachers,[26] and Kolej Komuniti Sungai Petani, a community college that provides Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) courses.[27]

Sungai Petani also has a number of private colleges and universities. One of them is the Open University Malaysia (OUM) that operates as the Regional Learning Center for the state of Kedah and Perlis.[28] Other private colleges include MSU College[29] and Cosmopoint College.[30]

Shopping

Sungai Petani has many malls and shopping centers. Amanjaya Mall, Central Square, Village Mall are modern shopping malls in the city.[31] There are also a few retailer chain and hypermarket outlets such as Tesco Sungai Petani and Tesco Sungai Petani South.[32][33]

Religious Institutions

Sungai Petani has no dearth of religious buildings. Muslims can visit Masjid Sultan Muzaffar Shah.[34] For Christians, some churches located in the city are Church of Christ the King (founded in 1925) and True Jesus Church.[35][36][37] For Hindu adherents, one of the temples that can be visited is Sri Subramaniya Swami Devasthanam Temple that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2019.[38][39]

Culture and Tourism

Sungai Petani Clock Tower

Sungai Petani Clock Tower is located on the main street, Jalan Ibrahim and was built in 1936. It is topped by a dome-shaped and gold coloured structure. The tower was a present from Lim Lean Teng to George V to commemorate his Silver Jubilee.[40][8]

Clock Tower in 2010

Gunung Jerai

A view of Gunung Jerai at dusk

In the northern part of the town, about 30 kilometres away, is Gunung Jerai. Gunung Jerai is 1,217 metres from the sea level. This is the tallest mountain in the northern region and is surrounded by a vast jungle. It is a navigational point for ships entering the Straits of Malacca from the north because it is visible from far. There is an 18 km trekking route to the top of the mountain through a winding road. Atop the Jerai is a resort and the mountain boasts some tall and cooling waterfalls. Historically, the Jerai mountain served as the navigational point for traders from the east and west. There was a Hindu temple on top of the mountain that was built nearly a thousand years ago during the Bujang Valley Hindu Civilization.[41][42]

Bujang Valley

One of the candi at Bujang Valley

The Bujang Valley or Lembah Bujang, sometimes referred to as the Ancient Wonder of Kedah, is a rich historical site covering an area of about 400sq. km in Merbok (17 km from Sungai Petani), bounded by Bukit Choras (Choras Hill) and Gunung Jerai. This archaeological area was the site of an ancient Hindu-Buddhist kingdom that ruled the region from the 4th century AD. There is also an archaeological museum here which is known as The Lembah Bujang Archaeological Museum.[43] This museum displays more than 2,500 artifacts from Malaysia's earliest civilization that have been unearthed from the surrounding excavation sites. Gold, gems, ceramics, Hindu gods and Buddha stone statues dating from the third to 14th centuries are all on display, though its main feature is Candi Bukit Batu Pahat, a reconstructed temple built to worship the Hindu god Shiva.

People from Sungai Petani

Nearby

Sister cities

References

  1. ^ "Banci Penduduk dan Perumahan 2020, Malaysia". Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Key Summary Statistics For Local Authority Areas, Malaysia 2010" (PDF). Department of Statistics, Malaysia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  3. ^ https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/uploads/files/1_Articles_By_Themes/National%20Accounts/GDPbyState/2020/Laporan_Sosioekonomi_Kedah_2019.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  4. ^ "{ms} Sejarah Malaysia - Asal Usul nama Sungai Petani". Sejarahmalaysia.pnm.my. Archived from the original on 2013-06-03. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  5. ^ "KTMB offers discounts to ETS commuters until Dec 31; plans to extend promotional period | New Straits Times". NST Online. November 23, 2018.
  6. ^ "ETS KL-Padang Besar berhenti di 15 stesen". Berita Harian. July 11, 2015.
  7. ^ http://intranet4.ktmb.com.my/ktmb/uploads/files/train%20schedule/Commuter_Schedule_Archive/2021/KOMUTER-UTARA-MULAI-4-NOV-2021.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  8. ^ a b Seng, Alan Teh Leam (March 30, 2017). "Modern train ride into the past | New Straits Times". NST Online.
  9. ^ "Sungai Petani Express Bus Terminal | EasyBook®(MY)". www.easybook.com.
  10. ^ "Sungai Petani Bus Station | Online Bus Ticket | BusOnlineTicket.com". www.busonlineticket.com.
  11. ^ Inventori Rangkaian Jalan Utama Persekutuan Semenanjung Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Ministry of Works. 2009. pp. 58–64. ISBN 978-983-44278-2-5.
  12. ^ "Our Expressways: North–South Expressway (NSE)". PLUS Malaysia Berhad. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  13. ^ "Latar Belakang". hsah.moh.gov.my.
  14. ^ Lagi masalah menimpa Hospital Sultan Abdul Halim. | Kementerian Kerja
  15. ^ https://www.pantai.com.my/laguna-merbok
  16. ^ https://www.pantai.com.my/sungai-petani
  17. ^ "Metro Specialist Hospital | Home". www.hospitalmetro.com.
  18. ^ "Sekolah Ibrahim Sg Petani rai kegemilangan 100 tahun penubuhan". Malaysiakini. July 16, 2019.
  19. ^ AZIMI, MOHD RAFIE (June 10, 2021). "SMS Sultan Mohamad Jiwa capai keputusan terbaik SPM Kedah".
  20. ^ "Direktori Pusat MARA – Majlis Amanah Rakyat".
  21. ^ "Universiti AIMST dapat peruntukan tambahan RM5juta mulai 2022 - Ismail Sabri". December 12, 2021.
  22. ^ "Home | AIMST University Malaysia". April 4, 2019.
  23. ^ "UiTM Cawangan Kedah". UiTM Kedah Official Website.
  24. ^ "IKM SUNGAI PETANI". www.tvetmara.edu.my.
  25. ^ http://sgpetani.ikm.edu.my/
  26. ^ "Portal Rasmi IPG Kampus Sultan Abdul Halim". ipsah.edu.my.
  27. ^ https://kksungaipetani.mypolycc.edu.my/
  28. ^ "Learning Centres".
  29. ^ "MSU College | Branches | Sungai Petani". www.msucollege.edu.my.
  30. ^ "Sungai Petani – Cosmopoint College".
  31. ^ "Heart and Soul: A valentine to my hometown cinemas". The Star.
  32. ^ "Tesco Sungai Petani". www.tesco.com.my.
  33. ^ "Tesco Sungai Petani Selatan". www.tesco.com.my.
  34. ^ "Portal Masjid v1.0". masjid.islam.gov.my.
  35. ^ "Church of Christ the King". Diocese of Penang.
  36. ^ "Location – Sungai Petani – True Jesus Church Malaysia".
  37. ^ "Gereja – Portal PBT Kedah". pbt.kedah.gov.my.
  38. ^ "Devotees throng Hindu temples ahead of Thaipusam tomorrow | New Straits Times". NST Online. January 20, 2019.
  39. ^ "Kuil – Portal PBT Kedah". pbt.kedah.gov.my.
  40. ^ https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2018/10/08/malaysias-stunning-clock-towers-part-i/ [bare URL]
  41. ^ "JourneyMalaysia » Lembah Bujang (Bujang Valley)".
  42. ^ "Trip Memukau Ke 'Switzerland Kedah' Di Puncak Gunung Jerai". LIBUR. June 16, 2020.
  43. ^ "Lembah Bujang Archaeological Museum - Department of Museums Malaysia".
  44. ^ "Wei Feng CHONG". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  45. ^ Revathi Durai (May 23, 2021). "Malaysian-born Sivasangari Enters 3rd Round Of El Gouna International Squash Open 2021". Varnam.my. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
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