Jalan Burma
Burmah Road is one of the major roads in George Town. This long road begins at the junction with Penang Road, and runs in a northwesterly direction out of town, ending at the junction with Gottlieb Road, Bagan Jermal Road and Mount Erskine Road. The traffic dispersal system of George Town requires that Burmah Road has three sets of traffic flow: from Penang Road to Pangkor Road junction, it flows east to west; from Perak Road junction to Pangkor Road junction, it flow the opposite direction; and from Perak Road to the end of Burmah Road, it flows two ways.
Burmah Road was named after the Burmese settlement that existed in Pulau Tikus district, of which stands the Dhammikarama Burmese Temple as the lasting reminder of their presence. That, and the existence of other Burmese-inspired road names in the vicinity, including Salween Road, Moulmein Close, Rangoon Road, Mandalay Road and Irrawaddi Road, to name some.
Among the locals, Burmah Road was called Jalan Kreta Ayer in Malay, or Chia Chooi Lor in Hokkien. Both means the same thing - "Water Cart Road". The name refers to an essential earlier-century activity that may appear totally alien to a 21st century piped-water world. Before piped water became an expected part of life, fresh water had to be carried - on ox-carts, and often, on shoulders - from waterfalls and springs, to awaiting buyers in town. Burmah Road was the route taken by these water bearers, and that route became known by that essential task.
Like many of the major roads in Penang, Burmah Road began as a rural road. It is spelled with a "h", one of the quarky idiosyncracies of British transliteration of foreign names. The city end of Burmah Road begin at a point where, up till the turn of the 20th century, there was a plank bridge across the Prangin Canal. The canal is still around, albeit buried under the ground, emerging only at Sia Boey. It used to continue all the way to Transfer Road, where it connects to another ditch that leads out into North Beach, where Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah is located today, effectively creating an island out of George Town. The plank bridge is remembered in the name of Masjid Titi Papan located in the vicinity.
Loke Thye Kee Restaurant, today a forlorn structure, stands at the junction of Burmah Road and Penang Road. As we go down Burmah Road, we pass sights in rapid succession. The Kuan Yin See, one of the biggest temples associated with the Nine Emperor Gods Festival is on a busy section of Burmah Road. At the junction of Anson Road, we find Penang Plaza, one of the earliest shopping malls in Penang, with Wesley Methodist Church across the road. Farther down the road, two more churches appear, the Adventist Church and Gospel Hall. Toward the junction with Pangkor Road, we the CRC at Victoria Green, with the Statue of Queen Victoria.
Beyond the Pangkor Road junction, Burmah Road enters what was the start of the Burmese-Siamese settlement. Thai and Burmese temples are tucked away off the main road, including Wat Buppharam in Perak Road, Wat Chaiyamangkalaram and the Dhammikarama at Burmah Lane.
The junction of Burmah Road and Cantonment Road marks the heart of Pulau Tikus district. The final section of Burmah Road, from Cantonment Road to Gottlieb Road, was traditionally a Eurasian settlement - called Kampung Serani - their presence is most conspicuously represented by the Church of Immaculate Conception, as well as such road names as Leandro's Lane.
Getting there
Rapid Penang Bus 10, 11, 101, 103, 104, 201, 202, 203, 204, 206 and T304 ply Burmah Road.
Sights along Burmah Road
Loke Thye Kee
Saw Khaw Lean Heah Kongsi
Kuan Yin See
New World Park
Wesley Methodist Church
Seventh-Day Adventist Church
Burmah Road Gospel Hall
Chinese Recreation Club
Queen Victoria Memorial Statue
Poh Oo Toong Temple
Pulau Tikus Tua Pek Kong Temple
Church of Immaculate Conception
Penang Adventist Church
| |
In Other Words ...
Malay: Jalan Kreta Ayer (Water Cart Road)
Hokkien: Chia Chooi Lor (Water Cart Road)
|
Burmah Road (12 November 2008)
© Timothy Tye using this photo
Burmah Road Location Map
Photos of Burmah Road
Burmah Road sign (12 November 2008)
© Timothy Tye using this photo
Old Burmah Road sign (30 November 2008)
© Timothy Tye using this photo
Burmah Road plaque (12 November 2008)
© Timothy Tye using this photo
Burmah Road (9 December 2008)
© Timothy Tye using this photo
|
