Astana Raja
Astana Raja , sometimes spelled as Istana Raja, is a village in Rembau District, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. It is located on the eastern bank of the Rembau River, the largest affluent of the Linggi River.
Astana Raja is situated southeast of Rembau.
History
Astana Raja is a village that holds a significant historical value. It was the first residence of Raja Melewar, the first Yamtuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, where he lived temporarily after being installed in Kampung Penajis which is a mere to its north. Furthermore, he was also laid to rest in Astana Raja following his death in 1795. Nowadays, the Rembau Museum, which is a replica of Raja Melewar's palace dedicated to the monarch's history, has been built as a tourist attraction.Postville Express, a World War II- era United States Army Air Forces B-29 Superfortress carrying an 11-man crew, reportedly crashed near Astana Raja on 11 January 1945 while on a return flight to Kalaikunda [Air Force Station|Kharagpur Air Base], India after a successful bombing mission on the Japanese-occupied Singapore Naval Base during Operation Matterhorn. The bomber, bearing the serial number 42-24704 and a participant of the XX Bomber Command, crashed into the jungle below after being shot down by a Japanese Army Air Force|Japanese] Ki-61 fighter plane. The incident rendered three crew members killed, with eight others surviving. Half of the crew members who survived the crash were later taken prisoner by the Japanese, while the rest evaded capture as local residents came to their rescue. The crash predates the more well-known British [Royal Air Force|RAF] B-24 Liberator Snake, which went down into the dense jungles near Mount Telapak Buruk 7 months later.