Merdeka Square (Padang Merdeka), Kota Bharu

Merdeka Square, Kota Bharu (29 April, 2017)


Merdeka Square (GPS: 6.13138, 102.23568), also called Padang Merdeka, is an open public area in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. Also known as the Independence Field, it was the site where the independence of Malaya was declared on 31 August, 1957.

The site of Merdeka Square was a reclaimed land. It was originally the site of a floating market in the 19th century. When Sultan Muhammad II built the Grand Palace of Kota Bharu in 1844, the area was reclaimed. It was then called Padang Kelupang.

For a short period at the turn of the 20th century, it was also known as Padang Pitis, and sometimes as Padang Bank, in reference to the Bank Pitis which was built by Sultan Muhammad III.

At the centre of Merdeka Square is a Kota Bharu Cenotaph, built by the British following World War I. It continued to be used as the war monument. At the other end of the square is now a tall flagpole with the Kelantan flag.

Merdeka Square is on the Map of Kota Bharu, Kelantan

The flag of Kelantan at Padang Merdeka, Kota Bharu (29 April, 2017)


Pavilion at Padang Merdeka (29 April, 2017)

Merdeka Square on Google Street View

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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