Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur
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Brickfields is a neighbourhood (as well as an administrative zone) located on the western flank of central
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
, Malaysia. It is known as Kuala Lumpur's
Little India Little India (also known as Indian Street, India Bazaar, or India Town) is an Indian people, Indian or South Asian sociocultural environment outside India or the Indian subcontinent. It especially refers to an area with a significant concentra ...
due to the high percentage of Indian residents and businesses. Brickfields has been ranked third in Airbnb's list of top trending destinations. Brickfields is notable for being home to KL Sentral, Kuala Lumpur's central public transportation hub.


History

In 1881, a flood swept through
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
in the wake of a disastrous fire. These successive problems destroyed the town's structures of wood and ''atap'' (
thatching Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge ('' Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of ...
). As a response,
Frank Swettenham Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham (28 March 1850 – 11 June 1946) was a British colonial administrator who became the first Resident general of the Federated Malay States, which brought the Malay states of Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and ...
, the British Resident of
Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...
, required that buildings be constructed of brick and tile. Hence, Kapitan
Yap Ah Loy Kapitan China Yap Ah Loy (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Ya̍p Â-lòi'', Jawi: ; 14 March 1837 – 15 April 1885), also known as Yap Tet Loy and Yap Mao Lan, is an important figure of early Kuala Lumpur. He served as the third '' Kapitan China'' of Kuala ...
bought a sprawling piece of real estate, now Brickfields, for the setting up of a brick industry which would spur the rebuilding of
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
. Later the area was developed by
Yap Kwan Seng Kapitan China Yap Kwan Seng (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Ya̍p Kôn-sṳ̀n''; 1846 – 1902) was the fifth and last ''Kapitan China'' of Kuala Lumpur from 1889 to 1902. Kapitans were appointed chiefs or headmen of the various ethnic communities duri ...
, the fifth and last
Kapitan Cina Kapitan Cina, also spelled Kapitan China or Capitan China or Capitan Chino (; ; ; ), was a high-ranking government position in the civil administration of colonial Indonesia, Malaya, Singapore, Borneo and the Philippines. Office holders exercis ...
of Kuala Lumpur. As a businessman, he foresaw an increased demand for bricks in fast-growing Kuala Lumpur and established a kiln in the district. The area soon became the centre for brick-making in the early days because the whole area was a
clay pit A clay pit is a quarry or Mining, mine for the extraction of clay, which is generally used for manufacturing pottery, bricks or Portland cement. Quarries where clay is mined to make bricks are sometimes called brick pits. A brickyard or brickwor ...
and good quality bricks are made from
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...
. Therefore, Brickfields became synonymous with good quality bricks. Brickfields also used to be the site of the main depot for
Keretapi Tanah Melayu Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) (; Jawi: ) or colloquially referred to simply as KTM, is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. The railway system dates back to the British colonial era, when it was first built to transport tin. ...
(KTM) (Malayan Railway) during the administration of the British. The British authorities brought in people from
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
to work the railway and the depot. Many lived in quarters around Brickfields. Since then, the Indian community have lived and remained here and became citizens of Malaysia. Some of the old quarters can still be found around Jalan Rozario. Today, the depot has been transformed into KL Sentral, the city's central railway hub. Brickfields is one of the pioneer settlements in
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
. Indeed, the whole stretch of Jalan Tun Sambanthan (formerly Jalan Brickfields) is interspersed with old colonial structures.


Lifestyle


Culture

Along Jalan Tun Sambanthan 4 is the century-old
YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...
, which has become an integral landmark in Brickfields. Further down along Jalan Tun Sambanthan is the charming Vivekananda Ashramam built in the early 19th century. Brickfields also houses historical government quarters built during the British era, which are under harm from rapid development. The 100 railway quarters in Jalan Rozario are still there, although modern buildings have cropped up all around. The "Hundred Quarters" are located at Jalan Chan Ah Tong. It was built in 1915 as terrace houses for junior servants. It is planned to be demolished for commercial development. As of June 2014, there have been no demolition works. Brickfields is famous for its Indian food delights, especially the unique banana leaf rice and thosai (Indian pancake made from fermented rice flour). The Malaysian Association for the Blind, located along Jalan Tebing, houses several blind people. They can be seen walking around Brickfields. Many have become familiar with the area, that they rarely encounter any problems walking around here. Most Brickfields has been equipped with tactile guided pathways designed to aid the blind in walking around the area. The Temple of Fine Arts is located along Jalan Berhala. It is essentially a cultural organisation offering various courses relating to Southern Indian music, dance, and arts. It was founded in 1981 and has currently similar centres in
Johor Bahru Johor Bahru, abbreviated as JB, is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Johor. It is the core city of Johor Bahru District, Malaysia's second-largest district by population and the second-largest district economy. Covering an area of ...
,
Melaka Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca. The state is bordered by Negeri Sembilan to the north and west and Johor to t ...
, Penang, as well as centres around the world including
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, Australia and Singapore. Besides offering courses, the organisation frequently organises Indian performances around Kuala Lumpur and has produced many artists progressing to international standards. They will be launching their state of art building soon, built upon the founding architecture of the old Temple of Fine Arts adjacent to the Maha Vihara Buddhist Temple. The new building will be a symbolic icon to the progress of arts and culture in Brickfields.


Places of worship

Brickfields is also tagged as a "Divine Location" as many religious structures, some over 100 years old, are concentrated in the area, particularly Jalan Berhala. The aptly named road ("Berhala" means shrine) houses the Buddhist Maha Vihara and the Sri Sakthi Karpaga Vinayagar Temple. Buddhist Maha Vihara was founded in 1894 by the Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society, the oldest registered Buddhist Society Klang Valley. It has been managed by the Sinhalese Buddhist community and supported by the Chinese Buddhist and Indian Buddhist communities. The Wesak procession organised by the Buddhist Maha Vihara since the 1890s is the country's oldest and largest religious procession. The Wesak month-long celebrations attracted about 100,000 people every year. The Sri Kandaswamy Temple is one of the most prominent
Sri Lankan Tamil Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, form the plurality in the Eastern Province a ...
or
Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
ese Tamil temple located along with Jalan Scott. It is vast and showcases rich Tamil Architecture and has become a popular tourist attraction in Kuala Lumpur. This temple was built in 1902. They provide religious services such as house warming ceremonies and child 31st-day ceremonies. The Kalamandapam hall, which the 2nd Prime Minister of Malaysia officiated, holds wedding ceremonies and is also owned by this temple. Both the Sri Kandaswamy Temple and Buddhist Maha Vihara stand testament to the influence of the Ceylonese in Brickfields, who was brought in to work on the Malayan Railways before World War II. A sprinkling of churches of different denominations can also be found here. Among the larger churches in the area are the Holy Rosary Church (est. 1903), Our Lady of Fatima, and the Zion Lutheran Church. Most of which are located along Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad. There is also an
Indian Orthodox Church The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) also known as the Indian Orthodox Church (IOC) or simply as the Malankara Church, is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church headquartered in Devalokam, near Kottayam, India. It serves India's ...
called the St. Mary's Orthodox Syrian Cathedral in Jalan Tun Sambanthan Satu. There is a ''Surau'' (small mosque) located on Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad called Madrasatul Gouthiyyah. Indian Muslims mainly attend this mosque, and the sermons are sometimes conducted in
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
. Finally, another significant landmark in Brickfields is the distinctive Chinese Temple known as Sam Kow Tong Temple (三教堂), which means "Hall of Three Teachings" along Jalan Thambillay. The Temple was founded in 1916 and belonged to the Heng Hua clan in Hokkien Province. There is also another Chinese Temple, Seng Hong Tokong (城隍庙) along Jalan Berhala.


Trade

Being the Little India of Kuala Lumpur, it has numerous shops that Indian businessmen own. There are spice shops, grocery outlets, sweet and snacks shops, textile shops, goldsmiths, hotels, restaurants, food stalls, printers and even flower stalls. The headquarters of Malaysian Institute of Accountants can be found along Jalan Tun Sambanthan 3, which also contains many second-tier
audit An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon." Auditing al ...
firms scattered around. There are also plenty of
law firms A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...
all over Brickfields area. Another popular business is the printing and paper distribution business which is concentrated along Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad. The new Sentral Brickfields 3-storey commercial complex is located next to the Sri Kandaswamy Temple, offering 22 exclusive retail outlets with free parking and easy access via the Jalan Istana road. The new Sonali business showroom is located in this building. The tagline for Sentral Brickfields is ''The Riverside Family Center in Little India'' https://web.archive.org/web/20130827091334/http://www.sentralbrickfields.asia/


Infrastructure and facilities


Police station

The Brickfields police station closed end of 2010 and was temporarily relocated to Sri Petaling. The Brickfields District Police is one of the four police district headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. Its jurisdiction covers, among others, the area of
Bangsar Bangsar is a residential suburb on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, lying about south-west of the city centre. It is part of the Lembah Pantai parliamentary constituency. Bangsar is administered by Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL), unlike ...
, Bukit Damansara, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Taman Desa,
Jalan Klang Lama Jalan Klang Lama or Old Klang Road, Federal Route 2 is the oldest and the first major road in Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, fede ...
, and Sri Petaling.


Schools

There are many schools located at Brickfields. Secondary schools: * SMK Vivekananda, Brickfields * SMK La Salle School, Brickfields Primary schools: * SK La Salle Brickfields 1 & 2 * SK Brickfields 1 * SK Brickfields 2 * SK St. Theresa (1) & (2) * Methodist Girls School 1 * SRJK (T) Vivekananda * SRJK (C) St Theresa Private schools: * Global Indian International School, Kuala Lumpur * Havil International School Colleges: * Brickfields Asia College * Methodist College Kuala Lumpur


Cultural/social organisations

* YMCA * Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society - Sinhalese based organisation * Temple of Fine Arts * Malaysian Association of the Blind * Rukun Tetangga Sektor Brickfields – A government base social body for Brickfields residents. * The Society For Deaf in Selangor And Federal Territory – A civil rights organisation for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Formed in 1975.


Development

Brickfields has evolved from a residential to a commercial extension of downtown
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
. The KL Sentral development project is one of Kuala Lumpur's most significant development projects encompassing an area of 290,000 square metres. It includes the KL Sentral transportation hub, two
hotels A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a refr ...
,
condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...
s, shopping complexes, a clubhouse, office buildings, as well as a convention and entertainment centre. Much of it is built on the former
Keretapi Tanah Melayu Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) (; Jawi: ) or colloquially referred to simply as KTM, is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. The railway system dates back to the British colonial era, when it was first built to transport tin. ...
marshalling yard here in Brickfields. The overall project is expected to be completed in 2012. The rapid evolvement has left parts of Brickfields suspended in time. One can find small village type housing amidst the high-rise modern living complexes being constructed. There have been efforts to clean up the area of Brickfields outside the KL Sentral development area. Recently Brickfields' image as a notorious area with a high incidence of crime is slowly disappearing. There are
brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...
s and
massage parlor A massage parlor (American English), or massage parlour (Canadian/British English), or massage salon is a place where massage services are provided. Some massage parlors are front organizations for prostitution and the term "massage parlor" has ...
s in Jalan Hicks and Jalan Thambipillay where prostitutes ply their trade. Another major development in Brickfields is the NU Sentral Shopping Center, Malaysia's first integrated lifestyle and retail hub located in the
central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
of KL Sentral. The shopping center was launched and opened to public in March 2014.


Transport

Brickfields can be accessed through many ways: *
KL Monorail The KL Monorail Line is the only operational monorail system in Malaysia. Operated as part of the Rapid KL system by Rapid Rail, a subsidiary of Prasarana Malaysia, it is one of the components of the Klang Valley Integrated Transit System. Th ...
: Tun Sambanthan and KL Sentral stations *
Rapid KL Rapid KL (stylized as ''rapidKL'') is a public transportation system owned by Prasarana Malaysia and operated by its subsidiaries Rapid Rail and Rapid Bus. The acronym stands for , which translates to Kuala Lumpur Integrated Rapid Transit Net ...
's Kelana Jaya Line (LRT): KL Sentral station * MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line:
Muzium Negara The National Museum () is a public museum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia dedicated to Malaysian art, Culture of Malaysia, culture, and History of Malaysia, history. Located on Jalan Damansara close to Perdana Botanical Gardens, Perdana Lake Gar ...
station * KTM Komuter: KL Sentral station * Express Rail Link: KL Sentral station * Rapid KL buses The combination of the commercial activity, schools and residential traffic and Brickfields' location as one of the major access points into and out the city frequently results in bad
traffic congestion Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s, resulting in m ...
in the mornings and evenings.


Notable people

* Ananda Krishnan, one of Malaysia and South East Asia's richest men, grew up in Brickfields and studied at the Vivekananda Tamil school. * Bastianpillai Paul Nicholas, Malaysia's first Asian banker. * Tan Sri Devaki Krishnan, the first Malaysian woman to stand for election.


References


Further reading

* Baxstrom, Richard (2008). ''Houses in Motion: The Experience of Place and the Problem of Belief in Urban Malaysia''. Stanford: Stanford University Press. 304 pp. . * Baxstrom, Richard (2010). ''Transforming Brickfields: Development and Governance in a Malaysian City''. Singapore: National University of Singapore Press. 283 pp. . * Moses, Balan (2007). ''Brickfields: A Place, A Time, A Memory''. Kuala Lumpur. 207 pp. . * Willford, Andrew (2006). ''Cage of Freedom: Tamil Identity and the Ethnic Fetish in Malaysia''. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. 360 pp. .


External links

*
Tourism Malaysia – Little India Brickfields
{{Greater Kuala Lumpur Ethnic enclaves in Malaysia Indian-Malaysian culture Little Indias Suburbs in Kuala Lumpur Red-light districts in Malaysia