Brickfields
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brickfields is a small to medium-sized town and residential neighbourhood (as well as an administrative zone) located just outside central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is known as Kuala Lumpur's Little India due to the high percentage of Indians living there.
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[edit] History
Brickfields got its name from the word "brick". The area was the centre for brick making in the early days when the whole area was a clay pit with cows grazing everywhere. Brickfields produced one of the best bricks as good quality bricks are made from clay.
Despite its proximity to Bangsar, there is a vast difference between the two neighbourhoods. There is a lot of history to Brickfields as it is one of the pioneer settlements in Kuala Lumpur. Indeed, the whole stretch of Jalan Tun Sambanthan (formerly Jalan Brickfields) is interspersed with old colonial structures.
Also there is a short stretch of street named Jalan Thambipillay parallel to Jalan Brickfields where a red-light district is located.
[edit] Lifestyle
[edit] Culture
Right at one end of the road is the century old Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), which has become an integral landmark in Brickfields. Further down is the charming Vivekananda Ashram that was built in the early 19th century. The 100 quarters in Jalan Rozario are still there although modern buildings have cropped up all around. Brickfields is popular 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 (MAB), located along Jalan Tebing, houses a number of blind people. Many blind people can be seen walking around Brickfields. Many have become familiar with the area that they rarely encounter much problem walking around here. Most of Brickfields is already 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 mainly Southern Indian music, dance, and arts. It was founded in 1981 and has currently similar centers in Johor Bahru, Melaka, Penang, as well as centers around the world including India, Australia and Singapore. Besides offering courses, the organisation frequently organises Indian performances around Kuala Lumpur, and has produced many artists progressing to international standards.[1]
[edit] Religion
Brickfields is also tagged as a "Divine Location" as many famous religious structures, some almost 100 years old, are concentrated in the area, particularly Jalan Berhala. The aptly-named road houses the Buddhist Maha Vihara Temple, the Arulmigu Sree Veera Hanuman Temple, the 56 Sakthi Vinayagar Temple, the Lutheran Church and even the 50-year old Three Teachings Chinese Temple. There is also the Sri Kandaswamy temple which is a famous Sri Lankan Tamil or Ceylonese Tamil temple at Jalan Scott. It is huge and showcases rich Sri Lankan Tamil architecture and has become a popular tourist attraction in Kuala Lumpur. This is temple is 104 years old now. They provide religious services such as house warming ceremonies and child 31st day ceremony. The Kalamandapam hall which was officiated by the 2nd Prime Minister of Malaysia holds wedding ceremonies and is also owned by this temple.
Both the Sri Kandaswamy Temple and Buddhist Maha Vihara (Sinhalese) stand testament to the influence of Sri Lankan/Ceylonese influence on Brickfields.
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) and Our Lady of Fatima, which are located at either end of Brickfields. There is also an Indian orthodox church called the St. Mary's Orthodox Syrian Cathedral in Jalan Tun Sambanthan Satu.
[edit] Trade
Despite the high concentration of places of worship in Brickfields prostitution is still rife here. Jalan Thambipillay contains many brothels which operate round the clock with sex workers coming from around Southeast Asia and also local workers. Other popular businesses here is the printing and paper distribution business which is concentrated along Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad.
The Malaysian Institute of Accountant (MIA) headquarters can be found along Jalan Tun Sambanthan 3, which also contains a number of second tier audit firms scattered around. There are also plenty of law firms all over Brickfields area.
[edit] Infrastructure and Facilities
[edit] Police Station
The Brickfields District Police Headquarter is one of the four police district headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. Its jurisdiction covers, among others, the area of Bangsar, Bukit Damansara, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Taman Desa, Jalan Klang Lama, and Sri Petaling.[2]
[edit] Schools
For a small area like Brickfields the number of schools in it is unusually high.
Secondary schools:
- SMK Vivekananda,Brickfields
- SMK La Salle, Brickfields
Primary schools:
- SK La Salle Brickfields 1&2
- SK Brickfields 1&2
- SK. ST. THERESA (1) & (2)
- Methodist Girls School (MGS KL)1&2
- SRJK (T) Vivekananda
- SRJK (C) St Theresa
Private schools:
Colleges:
- Brickfields Asia College [5]
[edit] Cultural/Social Organizations
- YMCA
- Temple of Fine Arts
- Malaysian Association of the Blind (MAB)
[edit] Development
Brickfields is rapidly evolving from being a residential to a very commercial extension of downtown Kuala Lumpur. The KL Sentral development project is one of Kuala Lumpur's largest development project encompassing an area of 290,000 square metres. It includes the KL Sentral transportation hub, two hotels, condominiums, 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 marshalling yard here in Brickfields. The overall project is expected to be completed in 2012.[6]
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 has 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.
[edit] Transport
Brickfields can be accessed through many ways:
- KL Monorail: Tun Sambanthan and KL Sentral stations
- Rapid KL's Kelana Jaya Line (LRT): KL Sentral 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 jams in the mornings and evenings.
[edit] Prominent Personalities
- 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.
[edit] External links
 Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur |
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| Constituencies | Bandar Tun Razak • Batu • Bukit Bintang • Cheras • Kepong • Lembah Pantai • Segambut • Seputeh • Setiawangsa • Titiwangsa • Wangsa Maju |  |
| Places | Bandar Manjalara • Bandar Sri Pemaisuri • Bandar Tasik Selatan • Bangsar • Brickfields • Bukit Aman • Bukit Damansara • Bukit Jalil • Bukit Kiara • Bukit Nanas • Bukit Persekutuan • Bukit Petaling • Bukit Tunku • Chow Kit • Damansara Town Centre • Dang Wangi • Happy Garden • Imbi • Jalan Duta • Jinjang • Kampung Baru • Kampung Datuk Keramat • Kuchai Lama • Kerinchi • Maluri • Medan Tuanku • Miharja • Mont Kiara • Pudu • Puncak Jalil • Salak South • Semarak • Setapak • Sentul • Shamelin • Sri Hartamas • Sri Petaling • Sungai Besi • Taman Desa • Taman OUG • Taman Melawati • Taman Tun Dr Ismail • Taman U-Thant | |
