Muar: A two-day heritage walk will take place in Muar, Johor this Saturday to explore the town's multicultural history and the stories of communities that have contributed to its development.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Bandar Maharani Heritage Walk 2026, held in conjunction with the Visit Johor 2026 campaign, will feature visits to significant heritage sites, as well as conversations, lectures and exchanges on Muar's history and cultural heritage. Founder-President of the Malaysia-India Heritage (MIH) Society Prabhakaran Nair said the programme aimed to explore and document the shared historical and cultural legacies of Malaysia and India, while highlighting the contributions of different communities to Muar.
'Through this Heritage Walk, we want people to discover the stories behind Muar's historical sites and understand how different communities have contributed to the town's development,' he told Bernama. The programme is organised by the MIH Society (Persatuan Warisan Malaysia-Akhand Bharat) in collaboration with the High Commission of India in Malaysia and community-based organisations in Muar.
The opening ceremony will be held at Muar High School on Sept 6, with Johor State Executive Councillor for Unity, Heritage and Culture P. Pannir Selvam in attendance. A highlight of the programme is the launch of the memoir A Life Reimagined by Datin Kalsom Taib, who taught at Muar High School in 1966. Former student Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar is scheduled to speak at the launch, while biographer Lilian Low will also attend.
Nair said the heritage walk would go beyond visits to historical sites by providing participants with an opportunity to learn about the stories, memories and experiences associated with Muar's diverse communities. 'We hope the initiative will encourage greater appreciation of Muar's multicultural heritage and preserve these stories for future generations,' he said.
The programme is part of a series of Heritage Walks organised by the High Commission of India and the MIH Society since 2023 in various locations across Malaysia, aimed at exploring shared historical and cultural connections while strengthening cultural diplomacy and people-to-people ties. Nair said the organisers also hoped the Muar programme would encourage greater understanding of the town's multicultural heritage and highlight its historical links to visitors from Malaysia, India and other countries.
The initiative also underscores the importance of preserving heritage in fostering harmony and intercultural dialogue among communities of different ethnicities and religious backgrounds.