LITTLE INDIA or BRICKFIELDS -Kuala Lumpur-Malaysia

Little India or Brickfields is a vastly different world from nearby Pansagar. Brickfields is Malaysia's official Little India and used to be a simple residential neighborhood outside of Kuala Lumpur, but has recently been transformed into a wide street with Indian stores and restaurants run by the country's Indian community.

 

The shops here sell everything from traditional Indian goods like sari, wreaths, spices and Bollywood music, to local dishes like Vadai, Thosai (Indian pancakes made with fermented rice flour) and more. Since its transformation, Little India or Brickfields has turned into one of the tourists hotspots in Kuala Lumpur, not only because of the things here but because of its proximity to Kuala Lumpur Central Station.

 

History of Brickfields or India's Miniatures District

 Original Little India was located along with Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman in central Kuala Lumpur. Its main street was known as Jalan Mosque of India, and it used to house a bazaar full of memories of the Middle East. Then, in 2009, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced that the country's official little India would be relocated to Brickfields - one of the oldest Indian settlements in the country. The RM35 million project was implemented because this generously proportioned bridge - from Jalan Travers to Jalan Ton Sampanchan - could house cultural shops richer than Kuala Lumpur's busy city center. 

New Little India

Brickfields was launched in the new little India in Malaysia by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Prime Minister Malaysia. The show featured a fireworks display and performances by notable local Indian artists including classical dancer Ramli Ibrahim as well as Datuk David Arumugam, Jacklyn Victor and Yogi B.

Little India now stretches from Jalan Travers to Jalan Ton Sampatan. There is a 35-foot high fountain at the intersection, an information booth on Jalan Thambi Abdullah and a three-story Indian Bazaar at the end of Jalan Tun Sampantan. The brick-lined Jalan Tun Sampantan temple is lined with white street lamps and creamy yellow arches with purple motifs to match the freshly painted purple buildings along the street.

Little India is full of contracts for men from India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka who work in residents' restaurants and shops. Vendors blow Bollywood music with rows of Indian CDs on makeshift tables, flowers hanging from shelves and stacked saree sarees make for a stunning photo opportunity. Additionally, Brickfields is known for its affordable restaurants: most importantly, restaurants specializing in banana leaf lunches and Thosai. Many stores operate here late at night and some of them operate around the clock.

 

Traffic used to slow the chaotic crawl of cars that would randomly park along the streets of Brickfields, in order to reduce congestion. A multi-story car park has been erected near the sports complex in Kuala Lumpur City Hall. However, it's easier to take a light rail train to get there - just get off at Central LRT Station, while Little India is just a short walk outside the station.