Seri Menanti - The Royal Town

Seri Menanti, the royal town of Negeri Sembilan, lies snugly between two hills named Bukit Tempurung. Fed by the Seri Menanti River, which flows through the two hills, Seri Menanti derived its name from an incident that happened during an expedition for a new settlement led by a chieftain named Datuk Putih. While following a legendary dragon trail, which was reputed to lead to good fortune, he came across three unusual looking bunches of padi (rice), which seemed to be 'waiting'. As such, he named the place Padi Menanti (literally 'Waiting Padi'). Datuk Putih's successor later changed the settlement's name by adding his wife's name 'Seri'. Thus the name, Seri Menanti. History has it that in 1773, Raja Melawar, a Minangkabau Prince from Pagar Ruyung in Sumatra, was proclaimed as the first ruler of NS. Fascinated by the undulating land and hills, he declared Seri Menanti as the Royal Town. Today, some sixty traditional villages of various sizes are scattered around the area supporting a population of approximately 5,474.