Wander in Malaysia: A Little India Adventure
Step into Malaysia’s Little Indias, where fragrant spices dance with sacred rituals, inviting you to explore a neighbourhood like no other.
Sense of Wander: ★★★★☆
It’s not uncommon to find images of Hindu deities and other religious paraphernalia inside grocery shops and mini supermarkets in Little India, as seen in this one in Malacca.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia is a land of many cultures. Malays, Indians, Chinese, and indigenous groups contribute to a mosaic of heritage, shaped by the archipelago’s role as a maritime crossroads. Traders, scholars, and missionaries once sailed through its ports, leaving behind languages, beliefs, and traditions that remain visible today.
In the early centuries of the common era, Indian merchants brought spices and textiles, while Brahmins introduced religions and ritual practices — alongside Sanskrit — into the region. Over time, Indian influence gave rise to Indianised kingdoms like Gangga Negara, literally the “City on the Ganges.”
Though later overshadowed by the rise of Muslim sultanates, Indian presence remained strong. During the British colonial era (1786–1957), large numbers of Indian labourers, traders, and soldiers — many from Tamil Nadu — migrated to Malaya. They left their traces in temples, markets, and cultural centres that still anchor community life. For those interested, the legacy of Malaysia’s religious diversity, particularly in George Town, Penang, is a topic I explored in Wander in Penang: Mosques, Temples, and Churches.
Today, Little Indias across Malaysia continue to carry this heritage forward. Their food, festivals, and traditions lend colour and rhythm to the country’s already multicultural character. Impressed by Singapore’s Little India last year, I couldn’t resist exploring Malaysia’s own in Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, and George Town.
Located in the heart of Little India, the Sri Mahamariamman Temple stands as a spiritual cornerstone of the Indian community in George Town.
Wandering the Streets of Little India
You know you’ve arrived in Little India the moment the streets begin to shift — the signs turn to Hindi, and the shopfronts display bright sarees and dazzling bangles. Grocery stores carry products from across the subcontinent, flower vendors offer garlands for temple rituals, and hawkers wait to serve pani puri or hand you a warm samosa.
Even with eyes closed, your senses stay awake. You breathe in cardamom and masala from kitchens, sandalwood from incense sticks, and the sweet perfume of jasmine garlands. Your ears fill with sound — sometimes Sanskrit chants humming from temple halls, sometimes Bollywood rhythms pulsing saree shops, lifting your spirit with every beat.
I usually start my tour in Little India at the temples. Among them, George Town’s Sri Maha Mariamman Temple stands out. Founded in 1833 and devoted to the goddess Mariamman, it is one of Penang’s oldest and most cherished Hindu sanctuaries. Its towering gopuram, carved with divine figures, adorns the city’s skyline like a story book.
George Town’s Little India has a unique character. On Lebuh Queen, you’ll find Kalaivanis Books Centre, its shelves packed with volumes on yoga, spirituality, religion, and languages. It’s my first time inside a Hindi bookstore, and I stay there as if I could read Hindi and that each title opened a window into another world.
Compact yet well-stocked, Kalaivanis Books Centre has everything you seek in a bookstore.
Yet what makes George Town’s Little India truly fascinating is its fusion of cultures. At night, red Chinese lanterns dot the streets, castingast a dreamlike glow. One moment, you feel as though you’ve entered Chinatown, only to be brought back by the aromas and rhythms of India.
My favourite corner lies at the intersection of Chulia Street and King Street, where the oldest Indian Muslim shrine in Penang, the Sacred Nagore Dargha Sheriff, stands. Throughout the day, the shrine framed by the red lanterns overhead embodies the multicultural essence of the archipelago — Indian, Muslim, and Chinese influences woven into a single living landscape.
At night, the soft glow of traditional Chinese lanterns illuminates George Town’s Little India, casting a warm, dreamlike ambiance.
The Sacred Nagore Dargha Sheriff enriches both the cultural and spiritual landscape of George Town, Penang.
Kuala Lumpur’s Little India, in contrast, feels more modern, centred in Brickfields. Walking down Jalan Tun Sambanthan from KL Sentral at night, I find the streets buzzing with restaurants, sari shops, and mini markets. Bollywood beats mixed with the chatter of diners at open-air tables, while flower stalls stayed open late into the night, their garlands hanging in the lamplight.
Though Brickfields has several temples, Kuala Lumpur’s oldest Hindu temple — the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, built in 1873 — stands at the edge of Chinatown. This is because Little India in Brickfields only emerged in the 20th century, when Indian workers settled there around the railway depot. Before that, the city’s main commercial hub was the Petaling Street area, today’s Chinatown.
In Kuala Lumpur, Little India comes alive at night, buzzing with energy against the backdrop of the city's towering skyscrapers.
In Brickfields, fresh flower garlands hang in the air, filling the space with a fragrant aroma.
Inside the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur.
Savouring the Flavours of Little India
Food, as always, is its own pilgrimage. In Wander in Malaysia: Falling in Love with Breakfast, I mentioned how Malaysia transformed me into a breakfast person — and it was South Indian food that did it.
My mornings often begin with thosa — a crisp, golden crepe that never fails to comfort. In George Town, Sri Ananda Bahwan becomes a favourite; in Kuala Lumpur, Saravanaa Bhavan. Their paper thosa remains the best I’ve ever had, light as lace yet full of flavour. Discovering Saravanaa Bhavan in Malaysia feels like finding an old friend — I used to visit their Hong Kong branch on weekends before it closed, and the taste brings back memories.
Saravanaa Bhavan also serves a vegetarian thali, a platter of curries, sambar, chutneys, and sweets. Their gajar ka halwa — a carrot dessert — brings my memory back to a Muslim wedding I attended in Agra.
The vegetarian thali at Saravanaa Bhavan in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, was a nourishing feast.
The vegetarian briyani at Dindigul Thalappakatti in Kuala Lumpur is nothing short of divine.
Kuala Lumpur also brings another discovery: the briyani at Dindigul Thalappakatti. Originating from Tamil Nadu in 1957, this restaurant has perfected its dish. Fragrant rice layered with spices, paired with yogurt-dipped onions and chutneys, catches me off guard — transforming me from someone who never cared for briyani into someone eagerly reaching for the next bite, cleaning the bowl in delight.
In Malacca, Restoran Saravanna Chettinadu King offers a different kind of experience. Here, the banana leaf meal is served without a menu: rice scooped directly onto your leaf, curries ladled from steel buckets, poori placed gently on the side, dhal poured in rhythmic silence. The staff move like an orchestra — wordless, practiced, precise. The generosity of the meal stays with me, and after this first encounter, I begin to grasp the unspoken rules of portions and requests, learned quietly through observation.
At Restoran Saravanna Chettinadu King in Malacca, the banana leaf meal is rich with aromas and flavours stepped in Tamil tradition.
Located on Lebuh Queen, Penang Famous Samosa offers a tempting variety of samosas with flavourful fillings.
Not all meals come from restaurants. In George Town, I stumble upon Penang Famous Samosa just as hunger strikes too early for dinner. Their vegetarian samosa — juicy with caramelised onions and tangy with spice — costs only one ringgit. As someone usually wary of hawker food for hygiene concern, I return on my last day, unable to resist a second taste.
And of course, Little India tempts visitors with souvenirs that carry the spirit of India into everyday life. Supermarkets with instant masala chai, Himalaya face wash, and ayurvedic toothpaste are but small tokens of journey steeped in flavour, culture, and tradition.