Qualla: Thomas Parr Monument https://qualla.com/thomas-parr-monument en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:27 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/q/r/2/d/thomas-parr-monument-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Thomas Parr Monument https://qualla.com/thomas-parr-monument Thomas Parr Monument: Introduction https://qualla.com/thomas-parr-monument/ Photo credit Crisco 1492, CC BY-SA 4.0. The British called him a benevolent father. The people of Bengkulu called him arrogant and ferocious. Thomas Parr, the East India Company's Resident in what was then Bencoolen, lasted just two years before three men broke into his home on the night of 27 September 1807, stabbed him, and cut off his head. The domed monument that stands on Ahmad Yani Street today was built the following year to memorialize Parr, but the story it tells depends entirely on who is doing the telling.

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Image: Crisco 1492 | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/q/r/2/d/thomas-parr-monument-wp/qr2d-thomas-parr-monument-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Thomas Parr Monument: The Company's Man in Bencoolen https://qualla.com/thomas-parr-monument/ Photo credit Crisco 1492, CC BY-SA 4.0. The British East India Company arrived on Sumatra's southwest coast in the 17th century, drawn by the same spice and pepper trade that had lured the Dutch and Portuguese before them. Fort Marlborough, constructed to anchor British authority in the region, still stands roughly 170...

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Image: Crisco 1492 | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/q/r/2/d/thomas-parr-monument-wp/qr2d-thomas-parr-monument-the-companys-man-in-bencoolen.mp3 0:06 2 full Thomas Parr Monument: A Night at Mount Felix https://qualla.com/thomas-parr-monument/ Photo credit Crisco 1492, CC BY-SA 4.0. By 1807, resentment had sharpened into revolt. Parr's interference with traditional customs, his imposition of new agricultural demands, and the broader weight of Company rule had driven the Bengkulu populace to the breaking point. On the night of 27 September, during a rebellion...

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Image: Crisco 1492 | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/q/r/2/d/thomas-parr-monument-wp/qr2d-thomas-parr-monument-a-night-at-mount-felix.mp3 0:06 3 full Thomas Parr Monument: The Round Grave https://qualla.com/thomas-parr-monument/ Photo credit Crisco 1492, CC BY-SA 4.0. The monument itself is an octagonal structure covering 70 square meters, ringed by six Tuscan-style columns with three arched openings serving as entrances. At 13.5 meters, it is topped with a dome that gives the structure its local nickname: Kuburan Bulek, or "Round Grave." A wo...

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Image: Crisco 1492 | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/q/r/2/d/thomas-parr-monument-wp/qr2d-thomas-parr-monument-the-round-grave.mp3 0:06 4 full Thomas Parr Monument: Whose Monument Is It? https://qualla.com/thomas-parr-monument/ Photo credit Crisco 1492, CC BY-SA 4.0. Here is where the story turns. A monument erected by a colonial power to honor one of its own has been quietly claimed by the people whose ancestors killed him. The citizens of Bengkulu do not see the Thomas Parr Monument as a tribute to a fallen administrator. They see it as pro...

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Image: Crisco 1492 | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/q/r/2/d/thomas-parr-monument-wp/qr2d-thomas-parr-monument-whose-monument-is-it.mp3 0:06 5 full