Knowing Brickfields

Brickfields, KL’s vibrant Little India, is a cultural enclave brimming with history, bustling markets, and iconic temples, standing resilient amid rapid urbanisation.

Brickfields, known to locals as the ‘Indian part’ of Kuala Lumpur, is a modern-day cultural village nestled among the bouquet of vibrant and happening towns that make up the city center. Despite its old age, its beauty has not been lost on anyone—you know you’re in Brickfields once you see a plethora of colours at every corner, coming from their famous sidewalk arches and intricately-carved temples between corporate silvers and blues of glass skyscrapers. Still at the mercy of being swallowed entirely by urbanity, Brickfields is a nostalgic picture of KL’s Indian community and the city’s early years as a hub of travel, culture, and commerce.

A LITTLE HISTORY

Brickfields’ most distinctive features come from its rich history, dating all the way back to the colonial days. British control over Malaya reached its height in the late 19th century, a period which hastened the country’s industrialization and modernization. But a string of fires and storms in 1881, which left hundreds homeless and a handful dead, led to a hastened enforcement of better construction regulations that demanded all buildings be made with brick and stone. This was taken up by the Chinese community’s then Kapitan, Yap Ah Loy, who swooped in to buy large acres of land, also an abundant clay pit, for brick-making. It was where numerous kilns were established over two decades, eventually becoming early Kuala Lumpur’s brick town, which is how Brickfields got its name.

In that time period, the British brought in labour from India to work on the Malayan Railway (now our modern-day KTM) and fill the brick kilns as administrative development called for more construction materials to be made. Most of these workers were Tamil or Sri Lankan. In 1895, formal recognition of the Sasanabhi Wurdhi Wardhana Society, the first registered Buddhist organization in Klang Valley, helped cement Brickfields as an Indian enclave. It was followed by a rapid development of other religious and education institutions, mostly Hindu temples, Catholic churches, and English-language colonial schools, by the early 20th century. These establishments kept many migrant workers there even well after Independence. Despite its predominant Indian population, Brickfields also later welcomed many other racial groups as the town developed towards the midcentury. Kuala Lumpur’s first petrol station, a cinema, and the iconic two-storey colonial shophouses are landmarks from the town’s budding years.

BRICKFIELDS TODAY

As the name ‘Little India’ suggests, Brickfields is a cultural escape at its full force. There are plenty of shops selling traditional Indian clothing and salons which flourish most during the festive season. But at night, the town’s already-chaotic ambience is multiplied, with music blasting from stores and its roads turning into street food galore. Nowadays, it’s so crowded that most people skip the pains of finding parking entirely and take the train, which converges all transport lines to the bustling KL Sentral station in the heart of Brickfields.

The Heritage Walk is a self-guided tour you can embark on to get to know the town better. Leading tourists through sites both old and new, you’ll figure out many other nicknames given to Brickfields. ‘Divine Location,’ for example, references the high density of religious buildings in the area, a good number of which are historical. Some of these sites include the 1950s-style Sam Kow Tong Temple, known for its eye-catching red walls and dragons on its gables, and the vibrant Sree Veera Hanuman Temple, which is more sculpture than building with its beautiful renditions of the Hindu deity Lord Hanuman. About 15 minutes away from the temple is Zion Lutheran Cathedral, constructed in 1924, which once served as the mainstay of worship for Tamil Christians and at one point even a place of refuge during the Japanese Occupation.

A TOWN FOR THE BLIND

Not addressed by the Walk, however, is Brickfields’ significant population of the visually impaired, having been home to the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) since 1951. It was established by the Malayan Department of Welfare Services and has been captaining the support for blind care all over the country. In its earlier years, they were honed on setting up blind schools, preparing resources for teaching Braille, and providing job placement services. Later on, their efforts expanded to keep up with technological revolutions and providing tertiary education to its members. Over time, the MAB’s long-standing presence in Brickfields led other blind-friendly businesses to open there, from charity foundations and sports complexes to cafes and massage parlours. If you walk down any road in Brickfields, be sure not to obstruct the blind on their designated tactile paths.

BATTLING URBANISATION

It’s jarring to see Brickfields’ historical sites surrounded by emerging skyscrapers and futuristic buildings. The town has gone through a great deal of changes throughout the century—some good, some bad. In 2010, the Malaysian and Indian government launched an upgrade project for Brickfields to be Kuala Lumpur’s official Little India which introduced other iconic elements to the district and improved older structures. The colourful arches that adorn the streetside, for example, is one of its most notable additions. Along with the red Torana gate and the Elephant Fountain (which has since fell out of full function and maintenance), much of Brickfields’ “Indianness” was emphasized thanks to the Little India Project. But in the process, quite a few older Chinese and Malay businesses in the area were pushed out. Urbanization, even with the best intentions, have been the probably catalyst for the disappearance of small longtime local businesses, although time itself – given how old the town is – is just as likely.

It’s quite a shame that Brickfields has no museum or memorial to preserve its rich cultural history. A majority of it is left to the architecture to tell its stories, but many of these buildings aren’t protected, and therefore extremely vulnerable to the upgrade work that’s been taking place. Moreover, these century-old buildings are occupying Brickfields’ most convenient locations, and real estate developers are tempted to tear them down.

The Vivekananda Ashram, for example, routinely faces threats of demolishment every few years. While the building itself is a national heritage site, the land it sits on is earmarked as a major commercial zone. The Hindu institution is 124 years old and dedicated to Swami Vivekananda, a pioneer monk whose bronze statue stands in the entry courtyard of the building. Over the last two decades, Brickfields’ Hindu community has strongly opposed recurring proposals to demolish it. But for places like the Hundred Quarters, which once housed colonial government workers, residents had no choice but to welcome its demolishment due to rampant issues with vandalism and drug use in the area.

Neglect is perhaps the biggest challenge currently faced by Brickfields’ fragile heritage sites today as modern skyscrapers take over. It’s a slow and apocalyptic erosion for its history – and those who remember its old days find fewer reasons to stay there every day. The town may be left to yield completely to the contemporary quixotism of Little India at this rate, but that’s a Theseus Ship in the making for us. Will it still be the Brickfields we once knew and loved?

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