Little India of George Town

Not many visitors and tourists to George Town's famous Little India enclave know that the area's name was adopted by the local authorities only in 1991. However, the idea was initially put forth by Datuk Mustafa Jumabhoy, the president of the Indian Chamber of Commerce , during his first term from 1968 to 1969. The notion did not take off and it took more than two decades before it would come to fruition during his second term as president from 1991 to 1993. The State Executive Councillor of Tourism, Culture and the Arts at that time, Datuk Kee Phaik Cheen, latched on to the idea and helped to launch it.

But whatever it is named, visitors hardly fail to sense the remarkable nostalgic charm and almost innocent simplicity of the area. And no wonder. Little India breathes a rich living history that spans over two centuries. The culture here throbs with antiquity and tradition.

History of Little India

This meticulously regimented network was among the earliest parts of George Town planned under the administration of Sir Francis Light, the English founder of Penang. The area is hence now referred to as the "Francis Light Grid" – a rectangular network bordered by Leith Street, Beach Street, Chulia Street and Pitt Street (now Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling).

Chine Blue – an insight into Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion

Like a fragment from a scroll painting, an exotic indigo-blue mansion, with graceful, curved windows and a peaked, tiled roof, remains in the midst of Penang's modern high-rises. This rare survivor of old Penang, constructed in a Chinese-courtyard style with Western art-nouveau features, reflects the complex personality of its builder Cheong Fatt Tze. Called the "Rockefeller of the East", he was the most flamboyant of all Penang's multimillionaire towkays during the island's heyday of wealthy magnates.

Street Art of George Town, Penang

Take an amazing tour around the UNESCO World Heritage City of George Town, Penang to discover the unique wrought-iron caricatures with anecdotal descriptions of the street that they adorn.

Also within the heritage enclave are street art installations that have gain popularity among both visitors and locals alike. The street art all started off with a project called Mirrors George Town by George Town Festival 2012. Through this project, the talented efforts by Lithuanian artist, Ernest Zacharevic has drawn much attention.

Fort Cornwallis – the Star on the North East Coast of Penang

The star-shaped Fort Cornwallis marks the point where Francis Light and crew landed on 11 August 1786 to "take possession" of the island from the Sultan of Kedah. This date was also the birth date of Prince Charles and hence Francis Light named Pulau Pinang as the Prince of Wales Island.

Clan Jetties of Penang

"The wooden stilts are replaced every five years or so" explained Siew Pheng as we walked around the jetty. Siew Pheng, born and raised on Chew Jetty goes on to tell us that this labor-intensive task of replacing the wooden stilts is a dying trade as only a few old hands practice the skill. Many youngsters prefer not to live at the jetty, but in apartments and houses on Penang island itself, as the maintenance of these houses is backbreaking work.

Kuala Muda fishing village and whispering market

Where fisher folk keep alive a most quaint and unusual tradition of bidding

The political boundary between the states of Penang and Kedah is partly defined by a majestic age-old gift of nature. This is the magnificent Sungai Muda river which meanders quietly but imposingly from the Ulu Muda rainforests deep in the interior of peninsular Malaysia towards the Straits of Malacca.

Jungles that hide Penang’s forgotten colonial dams

The dams of Cherok To’ Kun and Bukit Seraya continue to stand amid encroaching forests in secret testimony to the dedication of their builders and operators from a bygone era.

KTM Swing Bridge in Prai – a rare engineering novelty in Asia

A marvel of engineering, this “swing bridge” is built over the Prai River specifically to allow trains to cross over, connecting the Butterworth Railway Terminal on the northern side to other rail destinations further south in Malaysia. The bridge also opens up occasionally for large barges, ships and ferries that need to pass through along the river. It is operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM), the national railway company.

Penang Bird Park – a living sanctuary that houses and protects more than 300 species of birds

When it opened in 1988, the Penang Bird Park was the first man-made bird sanctuary of its kind in Malaysia. Comfortably nestled in a sheltered corner in urban Seberang Jaya, it features some 3,000 birds, consisting of more than 300 local and foreign species.

The surreal vistas of Bukit Katak (Frog Hill)

Jim Richardson once noted that if you want to be a better photographer, "you should stand in front of more interesting stuff". Richardson is a renowned photographer for the National Geographic Magazine. Many would agree with Richardson and with the advent of social media, it is easy to turn an unknown location like Bukit Katak (Frog Hill) into one of Penang's much sought after Instagrammable hotspots.

Penang Bridge – connecting the island to the mainland

Before 1985, transportation between the island and the mainland was solely dependent on the state-owned Penang Ferry Service that plies between Butterworth and George Town. For using the ferry services in Penang, motorists need to pay toll fare while heading to the island. There is no charge for leaving the island.