Dataran Merdeka or Independence Square in Malay is a square located in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. It was formerly known as the Selangor Club Padang or simply the Padang and was used as the cricket green of the Selangor Club (now the Royal Selangor Club). It was here that the Union Flag was lowered and the Malayan flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on 31 August 1957. Since then, the Independence Square has been the usual venue for the annual Independence Day Parade.
In the early days of Kuala Lumpur, the Chinese and Malay communities settled along the east bank of the Klang River. The land to the west of the river was land originally owned by Yap Ah Loy. In 1880, the state capital of Selangor was moved from Klang to Kuala Lumpur by the colonial administration. The then British Resident William Bloomfield Douglas decided to build the government buildings to the west of the river.
A patch of swampy ground immediately to the west of the Klang River was then levelled and drained to be used as a training ground for the police. The land was acquired from Yap Ah Loy by the British Resident Frank Swettenham. This patch of land, originally named the Parade Ground, became the Padang.
Ten years later in 1892, the Acting British Resident Ernest Birch who was a keen cricketer then started to smooth over the ground so that it may be used as a cricket ground and other sports. The Selangor Club clubhouse was built at the present location in 1890 and the St Mary's Church was built in 1895.
In 1897, the government offices were relocated from Bukit Aman to the Sultan Abdul Samad Building overlooking the Padang. The building is one of the most significant landmarks built by the British and was designed by A.C. Norman, R. A. J. Bidwell, and A. B. Hubback in an Indo-Saracenic or Neo-Mughal style of architecture. This building housed the Selangor State Secretariat and later the Supreme Court before the court was moved. The building was left unused for a few years. It now houses the Ministry of Heritage, Culture and Arts.
Many buildings were constructed near to the Sultan Abdul Samad building and also around the Padang. A printing office was constructed in 1899 on the southwest corner of the Padang, the town hall to the northeast in 1904, the FMS Railway offices to the southeast in 1905, the General Post Office south of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building in 1907, the FMS Survey Department building in 1910 and the Supreme Court in 1915 in the northeast area.
As the Padang is located in front of the government offices, it is used for many national and civic events. The Padang was once leased to the Selangor Club which used it for various sports such as cricket and rugby. In 1987, the Padang was taken back by City Hall and the Selangor Club moved to Bukit Kiara.
On the midnight of 30 August 1957, the British flag was lowered and the Malayan flag was raised for the first time at the Padang, an event watched by a large number of people there. On the morning of 31 August 1957, the ceremony for Malayan independence was then held at the Merdeka Stadium.
The 'Padang' was renamed 'Dataran Merdeka' or Independence Square in October 1989.
The Geocache
Look east. The geocache is hiding under a Zebra.
The high D setting is there for a reason.