Location: The cave is
located in Lembah Tempurung (Tempurung Valley) near Gopeng, Perak,
Malaysia. It is 25 km to the south of Ipoh, the capital of the state of
Perak.
Exact Site: It is a massive
cavern inside Gunung Tempurung (Tempurung Mountain) standing at 497
metres high. It is visible from the North-South Expressway near Gopeng.
Classification: Karst cave. It is a cave of marble limestone (calcite calcium) of the Kinta limestone type.
Cave Age: More than 400 million years old.
Cave Length: 1.9 km.
Cave Height: 120 metres.
Number of Domes: Five
gigantic domes with ceilings resembling coconut shell (tempurung), hence
its name Gua Tempurung. Gua is the Malay word for cave.
Galleries: The five domes
form the showcase galleries beginning with Golden Flowstone Cavern,
Gergasi (Giant) Cavern, Tin Mine Cavern, Alam (Universe) Cavern and
Fallen Warrior and Battlefield Cavern.
Underground River: The river is called Sungai Gua Tempurung. The river passage runs about 1.6 km through the cave inside Gunung Tempurung.
Spectacular Features: Large and intricate cave system with
beautiful speleotherms like stalagmites, stalactites, rim stone pools,
curtains, straws, calcite crystals and pillars. These and more form the
natural limestone cave architecture. The most commonly known formations
are stalagmites (growing on the cave floor) and stalactites (growing on
the cave ceiling or wall). Just remember this “mantra”: the “mites” go
up and the “tites” come down! They develop when the calcium bicarbonate
containing water drips down joints in the cave roof. The drop can
partially evaporate and it hangs a little. Small amount of calcium
carbonate is also deposited and it leaves a cascading effect. When the
drop drips, partial evaporation happens and when the drips splash on the
floor, they cause stalagmites to grow. Generally, stalagmites are
thicker than stalactites, which are thin and fragile. When stalactites
grow too long, they break easily.
Cave columns are formed when the calcium carbonate deposits from above meet the ones below. There are also finger formations called helictites that originate from stalactites. Finger curtains are formed when water runs through a long crack in the roof, causing dripping to take place at several spots. When water continually flows down a wall or along a floor, a flowstone is formed. Ridge pattern effects occur when heavy rainwater falls over irregular surfaces.
The river or stream flows along the cave passageway at the lowest part of the cave gallery. The stream has potholes below the water surface, and pools where the floor dips. It has different water levels at different stretches, from ankle deep to chest high. The stream finds its way out of the cave and hillside.
Animals found in the caves include bats as well as various insects, worms and mites. Fishes also thrive in parts of the stream and pools outside.
Cave columns are formed when the calcium carbonate deposits from above meet the ones below. There are also finger formations called helictites that originate from stalactites. Finger curtains are formed when water runs through a long crack in the roof, causing dripping to take place at several spots. When water continually flows down a wall or along a floor, a flowstone is formed. Ridge pattern effects occur when heavy rainwater falls over irregular surfaces.
The river or stream flows along the cave passageway at the lowest part of the cave gallery. The stream has potholes below the water surface, and pools where the floor dips. It has different water levels at different stretches, from ankle deep to chest high. The stream finds its way out of the cave and hillside.
Animals found in the caves include bats as well as various insects, worms and mites. Fishes also thrive in parts of the stream and pools outside.
Brief History: The cave was first identified in 1887 in the Map of Perak-Malay Peninsula, which indicated a mountain spelt as “Gunong Tempoo Rong”.
The Department of Minerals and Geosciences estimated the age of the
rock formations in the area of Gua Tempurung to be between 250 and 400
million years. The cave was also known locally as Gua Perah. Perah is a
type of fruit similar to rubber seed. In the old days, there were many
Perah trees near the cave. Before 1935, tin mining activities on small
scale took place in the cave. During the World War 11 (1939 – 1945), the
cave became a refuge for locals from the invading Japanese. The Malayan
Emergency period (1948-1960) saw the cave being used by the communists
as their hideout. The cave walls have hand drawn pictures and words by
the communists. There are also inscription of hate slogans and song
lyrics against the Japanese army. After the Emergency period, mining
activities in the area resumed. In 1975, the Perak State Government
appointed a cave researcher and enthusiast, J. Crowter of the German
Society of Caving to carry out research on Gua Tempurung and to help
turn it to become a recreation area and a tourist attraction. Circa
1994, the State Government carried out a feasibility study and in 1995,
work to develop Gua Tempurung as a destination began in stages. The cave
was open to the public in November 1997 and entrance fees were
introduced and collected by a joint-venture company formed by Yayasan
Perak and a private company, which managed and maintained the place as
one of the state’s tourist attractions. In 2004, the State Government
appointed APT Consortium Sdn Bhd to take over the management and
maintenance of Gua Tempurung and the appointment remained valid till
today. The cave continues to attract both locals and foreign tourists,
with many coming from Europe, Australia, the United States, New Zealand,
Singapore and other countries in the Asian region. The number of
tourists has been increasingly steadily from more than 50,000 in 2005 to
over 70,000 the following year.
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