Kepahiang is a regency in Bengkulu Province of Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra, and was created on 25 February 2003 by splitting off the areas of the former southern districts of Rejang Lebong Regency. It covers an area of 710.11 km2, of which a high percentage (27%) is still forest; thus it is the smallest (by area) of the province's regencies. It had a population of 124,865 at the 2010 Census and 149,298 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2025 was 153,454 (comprising 79,124 males and 74,330 females). The regency seat is Kepahiang town. The local population consists of various ethnic groups such as the Rejang, Serawai, Javanese, Lembak and Sundanese, among which Rejang forms the majority in Kepahiang.
The Regency of Kepahiang is rich in natural resources including gold, coal, geothermal energy resources, gemstones as well as a range of agricultural, aquacultural and forest products. These include rice, oil- and coconut palms, coffee, tea, corn, wood, natural rubber and pepper, as well as various types of fruits and locally bred fish specimens and products.
The local government of Kepahiang operates several development projects to achieve improvements in the sector of agriculture, energy supply and education. Some of these initiatives gained nationwide attention and were implemented by the central government in Jakarta on a national scale.
Besides the formerly mentioned potentials, Kepahiang has significant tourism potential, which remains largely untapped. It is one of the official development goals to foster tourism in Kepahiang.
Kepahiang Regency's society is culturally, religiously and ethnically heterogeneous. The different religious groups and tribes coexist peacefully. The Rejang are the largest group in Kepahiang and dominate the local cultural life. Because the various groups have coexisted for a long time, cultural influences by others groups (Palembang, Serawai, Javanese, Sundanese, Padangnese, Batak, Acehnese or Chinese) can be identified as well. The heterogenous backgrounds of Kepahiang society caused the development of social aptitudes and manners within society, enabling peaceful coexistence.
Customs and traditions are maintained in Kepahiang. Cultural events take place regularly whereas it is not rare that foreign guest attend those events as well. The local cultural and heritage is closely bound the Malay culture. Due to this representatives of Malay culture, aristocrats and royalty not just from Indonesia but from Malaysia, Thailand and Philippines (Mindanao) for instance maintain good relations to Kepahiang and are regular guests there. They maintain the common cultural background and, at the same time, set an example of peaceful coexistence with groups of different cultural heritage.
There are several religious groups in Kepahiang. 88% of the population are Muslims. Further religions present in Kepahiang are Hinduism (7%), Catholicism (5%) and Buddhism (4%).
Music concerts take place regularly in Kepahiang whereas groups of nationwide popularity perform there along with local groups. The annual birthday of the Regency of Kepahiang is celebrated and often a cause for music groups and artists come to Kepahiang. There is a range of traditional, folkly songs such as the Gritan-, Mambak-, Nyerambeak- and the Merjung song. These popular songs are part of the Rejang cultural heritage dominating Kepahiang.
The largest group in Kepahiang are the Rejang Kepahiang; hence their customs are dominant as well. The Rejang do have various types of folk dances such as the Sekapur Sirih, Kejei, Semamea Cupik, Petik Kopi (Coffee Harvesting), Panen Padi (Rice Harvesting) and the Bujang Semulen dance.
Due to its unique natural environment Kepahiang offers a range of recreational activities and outdoor activities such as trekking, biking, walking and alike. The local government regularly invites to common bicycle tours in order to encourage an active way of life. The natural park covers an area of 8,515 ha and provides for further possible outdoor activities for all those enjoying nature. Other types of sports such as soccer, badminton and a range of martial arts are practised in Kepahiang as well.
The mayor's office in Kepahiang stands out in regards to dimensions and architectural design and attracts tourists as well as locals. The buildings cupola is of enormous size. It was damaged during a recent earthquake though all damages were of minor type and not irreparable. The restoration is done by non-local experts.
Cascade of Curug Embun in Kepahiang The hydro power plant on the MusiRiver, which is about 11 kilometres away from the city if Kepahiang, has a capacity of 3 × 70 MW. Furthermore, the hydro power plant is located in a natural scenery. It therefore became a place of excursions for locals and visitors. However, the facility primary function is of course to pave the way for economic development in Kepahiang.
The waterfalls in Kepahiang, especially the one in Curug Embun, which is approximately 100 metres high, are popular recreational places. The waterfall in Curug Embun is surrounded by forest and coffee fields of local peasants. It provides an exotic panorama view and is properly accessible by car or even public means of transportation. Its location is about 6 kilometres from the town of Kepahiang. The place is also popular with locals for its fresh climate and therefore became one of the primary place of excursions in the Regency of Kepahiang. Besides the waterfall in Curug Embun there are several more waterfalls such as those in Merindu, which are of similar characteristics but not that popular. Eight more cascades suitable to serve as natural recreational spots are counted in Kepahiang.
Rafflesia arnoldii Titan arum The largest flower in the world, Rafflesia arnoldii, has its natural habitat in Kepahiang and the Province of Bengkulu in south Sumatra. Its blossoḿs can be up to 1 meter in diameter and weigh up to 11 kg. Sporadic occurrence of this flower are reported from Aceh and parts of Malaysia. Furthermore, Kepahiang is also home to the Bangkai flower, a member of the genus Amorphophallus. The flower is of different types such as the Bangkai raksasa, Suweg raksasa or titan arum (Amorphophallus gigas), more commonly known as Sumatra giant amorphophallus. Amorphophallus titanum can reach a height of up to 6 meters and therefore is the highest flower in the world, followed by Amorphophallus gigas. These flowers give an impression of the unique natural environment found in the Regency of Kepahiang.
The tea plantations in the district of Kabawetan offer fresh climate and a unique panorama view and therefore are a local attraction already suitable for visitors and tourists as well. The plantations are located approximately 9 kilometers from the city of Kepahiang.
A variety of agricultural products such as coffee, tea, corn, dragon fruits, manioc, pepper, oil- and coconut palms, pecan nuts, taro (talas), cloves and range of fruits for instance are cultivated in Kepahiang. Sengon is the primary forest product. This is a partial list of locally available products.
Growing sengon (Falcataria moluccana) is an important part of Kepahiang strategy to diversify income structures in the Regency. Whereas oilpalms and natural rubber plantations need a rather long time until income is generated, sengon is of rapidly growing type serving farmers and investors with short and medium time horizon. Furthermore, the cultivation of sengon requires affordable investment volumes allowing local investors to participate in the sector. The SELUNA programs encourages farmers to grow sengon and provides certain types of support. The local governments approach to use the sustainable cultivation method of sengon to generate additional income and mitigate the risk of depending too much on single agricultural products gained recognition on a national scale and was eventually adopted by central government institutions as well.
Sengon can be grown in two major ways. First, it can be grown as a complementary plant at coffee plantations. The sengon trees, as a side effect, have protective functions for coffee plants. This strategy allows to plant 400 sengon trees per ha. Second, it can be grown as primary plant whereas this approach is divided into further subcategories: Category A: 1000–2000 trees / ha. This approach allows the growing of secondary plants such as Taro. Category B: 4000 trees / ha. This approach is called the High Density Population (HDP). Category C: 10,000 trees / ha. This approach is called the Very High Density Population (VHDP).
During the colonial rule of the Dutch in Indonesia, the town of Kepahiang was the capital of the regency of Rejang Lebong, which is a neighboring regency of Kepahiang today. Kepahiang remained the capital during the 3.5 years of Japanese rule in Indonesia. In the cause of the independence war and Indonesia's declaration of independence on 17 August 1945, Kepahiang became the regional center for Indonesian organisations, the independence movement in the region and its military forces. Due to this fact, the Dutch targeted and destroyed the entire administrative infrastructure in Kepahiang during an attempt to regain power over the region in 1948. The mayors office, administrative buildings, post offices, telecommunication centres and police stations were annihilated completely.
In 1949, the local administration was forced to relocate itself into the forest and was not able to return to Kepahiang as the infrastructure no longer existed. Because of this, the administration had to move to the larger town of Curup, which provided sufficient infrastructure at that time. In 1956, Curup was declared the new capital of Rejang Lebong Regency, and Kepahiang finally lost its prior position as the administrative center.
In the context of political and administrative reforms in Indonesia that started in 1998, Kepahiang had a realistic chance to become an independent regency. In 1999 a firm proposal was made to transform Kepahiang into such an independent regency, separate from Rejang Lebong Regency. The people of Kepahiang supported this by forming an organisation, namely the Panitia Persiapan Kabupaten Kepahiang (PPKK), which fostered the realisation of this project. In 2002 the PPKK handed over their proposals to respective regional and national authorities. This was accepted and finally ratified by General Hari Sabarno, who served as the Minister of Interior at that time, and came into effect at 7 January 2004.
Since then Kepahiang has had four local administrations under three different regents.
The newly formed regency progressed socially and economically since then at high pace. Its administration (4th period) received several honours from the central government in Jakarta and managed that locally applied development concepts were adapted by the government and implemented on a national scale. Kepahiang adopted a sustainable approach avoiding huge monocultural plantations such as palm oil plantations. It depends on its sensitive natural environment and understand that it has to maintain and protect it properly in order to achieve long-lasting success.
The pentagonal frame of Kepahiang's crest reflects its territorial entity, as well as the Pancasila doctrine taught in Indonesia. The crest further contains elements that reflect certain natural and cultural characteristics of Kepahiang.
In the upper part of the crest there is the contour of mountains, illustrating that Kepahiang is a mountainous regency. Below that, one can see a wavelike symbol signifying Kepahiang's abundant water resources. The blue point between the waves is a symbol of the day Kepahiang became an independent regency.
In the middle is a betel nut paring. The paring plays an important role in local traditions and customs. Above the paring there is a curved blade of a traditional dagger called kris. The kris is a symbol of bravery and tradition, but also represents progress and development.
The paring and the kris are enframed by two different branches on the left and on the right. One of the branches is from a coffee tree, whereas the second branch is from a rice plant. Both reflect the favourable natural environment in Kepahiang, which provides its inhabitants with sufficient subsistence. The tranches are bound together seven times as a symbol for the regency's coherence.
At the bottom of the crest there is a writing showing the word SEHASEN. This word is a local acronym for the following combination: Selaras (Consistency) Elok (Beauty) Harmonis (Harmony) Aman (Safety) Sentosa (Peacefulness).
Kepahiang has the following coordinates: Longitude 101° 55′ 19″ – 103° 01′ 29″; Latitude 020° 43′ 07″ – 030° 46′ 48″. Kepahiang is characterized by a rangy, arboreous and fertile natural environment. The highest point is 1,600 metres above sea level where the lowest point is 250 metres above sea level. The rangy environment is reflected in the crest of Kepahiang.
The climate is tropical. The average temperature is 23.87 °C whereas the air humidity is 85.21% in average. The average rainfall amounts to 233.5 mm/ month.
Kepahiang has a total area of 710.11 km2 of which 48,393.69 ha cultivatable and further 18,106.31 ha of forest area. The forest area consists of a mountainous conservation area of 320 ha, a natural park of 8,515 ha and an area of protected forest of 9,588.11 ha.
There are several rivers and a lake in Kepahiang Regency, which are vital to the local agricultural economy and the tourism potential as well. Kepahiang does not have a shortage of water resources, which is why water was an element used in its crest as well. Ten waterfalls have been counted, which would be suitable spots for recreational activities and tourism. The waterfall in Curug Embun is around 100 metres high and a regional place for excursions, just as the Musi River, which has significant water volumes allowing a 3 × 70 MW water power plant to function properly.
The south of Sumatra and the province of Bengkulu and Kepahiang in particular are the natural habitat for Rafflesia arnoldii flower. This flower was found by Joseph Arnoldi and Sir Thomas Raffles in 1818. Raffles was the governor of the province of Bengkulu at that time. The florescence of this flower is the biggest in the world. Its cross-section dimension can be up to 1 meter and it weighs up to 11 kg. The flower is interesting and adds to the tourism potential of the region.
In the north Kepahiang Regency borders on the regency of Rejang Lebong. To the east there is the regency of Lahat. The regency of Central Bengkulu is located to the south from the regency of Kepahiang, whereas Kepahiang adjoins the regency of North Bengkulu in the west.
Kepahiang Regency is subdivided into eight districts (kecamatan) comprising a total of 117 villages (of which 11 have urban status). The districts are listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2025. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of villages in each district (totaling 105 rural desa and 12 urban kelurahan), and its post code.
Notes: (a) including the kelurahan of Keban Agung. (b) including the kelurahan of Tebat Karai. (c) comprising 7 kelurahan (Dusun Kepahiang, Kampung Pensiunan, Padang Lekat, Pasar Kepahiang, Pasar Sejantung, Pasar Ujung and Pensiunan) and 9 desa. (d) including the kelurahan of Tangsi Baru. (e) including the kelurahan of Ujan Mas Atas. (f) including the kelurahan of Durian Depun.
The capital and administrative centre of the Regency of Kepahiang is the town (and district) of Kepahiang, which has over a third of the regency's inhabitants as well. The average population density was 216.1 people per km2 in 2024, while the districts significantly differ in this regard. Merigi District in the northwest of the regency is substantially suburban to the town of Curup in neighbouring Rejang Lebong Regency.
The population of Kepahiang Regency is growing at slow pace with an average of 1.01% per annum. There are 5% more men than women. Therefore, the demographic development in Kepahiang is significantly below the national average.