The Rice Museum, or Muzium Padi, in Kedah is located at the foot of Gunung Keriang just north of Alor Setar. It was built on land belonging to MADA (Malaysian Agricultural Development Authority) at a cost of RM24.7 million. The museum building resembles bushels of harvested paddy stalks. Throughout the Rice Museum, the rice motif is repeated everywhere, on the banisters, and even on the fence and gate outside.
Tim's Rice Museum Travelogue (30 April, 2005)
I discovered the Rice Museum when I was sights in Kedah. I found it almost by chance when I saw the Rice Museum signboard by the roadside, and decided to turn in for a look, and was surprised to find this huge museum in the middle of nowhere. "Nowhere" here refers to almost 100,000 hectares of paddy fields. This is after all the Rice Bowl State of Malaysia.
The Rice Museum consists of two main levels and a top portion accessible by a spiral staircase. As you tour it, you are given a thorough explanation of anything involved with rice. Some are simply trivia, like songs dedicated to rice - this kind of reminded me of the Cat Museum in Kuching.
There are several galleries with panoramic murals. These are the result of painstaking work by 60 artists from North Korea. My favourite gallery is 59 steps above, accessible via a spiral staircase. What you find here is a massive circular mural measuring 103 metres in circumference, and 8 metres in height. You enter this gallery from the middle, and immediately the scene of the surrounding Gunung Keriang region unfolds around you. As you stand there admiring the mural, you are taken in by the sheer size of the murals.
Indeed you cannot be sure where the ground is, and where the mural begins. Another thing, as you view the mural, you feel that the scenery was moving. Soon you realised that you are standing on a revolving platform, and by simply being still, you will have the scenery rotate around you. It was truly a mermerizing experience.
The Rice Museum is open daily from 10am to 6pm. On Fridays it observes a 12.30-2.30pm recess. Admission is RM3 for adults and RM1 for children. This museum can be one of the stops in an AsiaExplorers trip through Kedah.
Getting there
From Alor Setar, take Lebuhraya Darul Aman (Route 1). It continues to Jalan Anak Bukit. From Jalan Anak Bukit, take a left turn to Route K2. You will see Gunung Keriang, the huge limestone outcrop, in front of you. The museum is located at the far side of the mount. Take another left turn to K351, followed by a slip road (there's a signboard pointing to the museum) that leads you to the museum.
Rice Museum Photo Gallery
The Rice Museum of Kedah.
This view, taken with the museum behind me, shows the surrounding region is all paddy field country.
This water buffalo is just about 120m from the front gate of the museum.
Inside the Rice Museum.
Circular murals adorn the walls in several wings of the museum.
Like entering the belly of a mountain, this cave-like spiral staircase leads to the revolving gallery.
The revolving gallery rotates you so that you can admire the massive 103m mural without moving an inch.
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This view, taken with the museum behind me, shows the surrounding region is all paddy field country.
This water buffalo is just about 120m from the front gate of the museum.
Inside the Rice Museum.
Circular murals adorn the walls in several wings of the museum.
Like entering the belly of a mountain, this cave-like spiral staircase leads to the revolving gallery.
The revolving gallery rotates you so that you can admire the massive 103m mural without moving an inch.
The rice motif is repeated on the banisters.
