Tunku Kudin House (Udini House), Gelugor

Tunku Kudin House, Gelugor (1 February 2022)

Udini House (GPS: 5.375337, 100.313632), also known as Tunku Kudin House or Rumah Tunku Kudin, is a dilapidated double-storey bungalow in Gelugor, Penang. It belongs to Tunku Dhiauddin ibni almarhum Sultan Zainul Rashid, also known by the nickname, Tunku Kudin. Tunku Kudin was the Raja Muda (crown prince) of Kedah and younger brother of 23rd sultan of Kedah, Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Mukarram Shah (reign 1854-1879). He was also the granduncle of the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj, the first prime minister of Malaysia.

Upon his marriage to the daughter of the Sultan of Selangor, Tunku Kudin was appointed Wakil Yam Tuan (viceroy) of Selangor by the sultan. In that position, he was involved in settling the dispute between Raja Abdullah and Raja Mahdi. Both wanted to be the chief of Selangor, as that position would allow them control of the lucrative tin mines of Klang and Kuala Selangor. Similar to Perak, the tin mines in Selangor were worked by members of the two secret societies, Ghee Hin and Hai San.

Tunku Kudin took the side of Raja Abdullah, who was aligned with Yap Ah Loy, who was the Kapitan China of Kuala Lumpur as well as the leader of the Hai San. Raja Mahdi, on the other hand, was aligned with Ghee Hin, and had the support of Selangor royalty and noblemen. The clash between the two fractions, lasting seven years from 1866 to 1878, resulted in British intervention, which like Perak, places Selangor with a Resident. Under the British, Tunku Kudin retained his position as the Viceroy of Selangor.

The Malay noblemen in Selangor painted a bad picture of Tunku Kudin to the Sultan of Kedah, regarding him as having sided with foreign forces (the British) and meddling in the affairs of a state outside his own. It displeased the sultan, and he decided to bar Tunku Kudin from ever returning to Kedah. Tunku Kudin's house at Bukit Tinggi was also confiscated while another person was appointed as the crown prince.

Tunku Kudin took up residence in Penang, at a house next to Istana Kedah, along Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah. After the sultan died in 1778, he tried to persuade Siam (Kedah was a vassal state of Siam at that time) to allow him back, but was unsuccessful. Resigned to a life in exile, Tunku Kudin decided to build a more permanent residence in Penang. That was how Tunku Kudin House was built. Tunku Kudin lived there from around 1884 until his death in 1906.

Tunku Kudin should not be confused with Ku Din Ku Meh (1848-1932), also known as Tunku Kudin, who built Segara Ninda in George Town. He is also a different Tunku Kudin (?-1831) from the one who built Kota Bukit Pinang. However, Tunku Kudin (of Segara Ninda) bought Tunku Kudin House in 1910 when it was mortgaged by Tunku Bahadur, the son of the other Tunku Kudin.

Today Tunku Kudin House is still standing, but is unrestored, and is located within the compound of the Marine Police department.

Updates on Tunku Kudin House

18 July, 2019
One Sultan Mustafa Apoichat Bin Tunku Arifeen Bin Tunku Din (Dhiauddin) Bin Tuanku Pengeran Ahmad Tajjuddin Mukarrom Shah messaged me on Facebook, telling me that he is the owner of Tunku Kudin House.

Getting there

The best way to reach Tunku Kudin House is by car. Otherwise, the nearest bus reaches to Lotus's Penang, from where you have to walk up the hill to Tunku Kudin House. Rapid Penang 206 goes to Lotus's Penang.

Tunku Kudin House is on the Map of Gelugor, Penang

Photos of Tunku Kudin House in 2022

Tunku Kudin House, Gelugor (1 February 2022)

Photos of Tunku Kudin House in 2016

Tunku Kudin House (16 March 2021)

Photos of Tunku Kudin House in 2005

Tunku Kudin House (12 February 2005)

The dilapidated Tunku Kudin House, which is also called Udini House. (12 February 2005)

Remains of the façade of Udini House. (12 February 2005)

View of the upper floor of Udini House. (12 February 2005)

Transmission tower behind Udini House. (12 February 2005)

Other Malay historic bungalows in Penang

List of Historic Buildings in Penang and Historic Buildings in Malaysia

Private Guided Tours of Penang

If you are seeking private guided tours of Penang, message Penang Tour Guides at penangtourguides@gmail.com and enquire with them.

Buy, rent or sell properties in Penang

Do you have a property for sale or to rent out? Are you looking to buy or rent a property? Get in touch with me. WhatsApp me (Timothy Tye) at 012 429 9844, and I will assign one of my property agents to serve you. I will choose the agent for you, according to your property needs. So when you message me, provide me some details of what you need, whether to sell, to buy, to rent or to rent out, and what type of property, is it condo, apartment, house, shop, office or land.

Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

Map of Roads in Penang

Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.

Terms & Condition of Use | Privacy Policy