History of Lebuh Chulia
Chulia Street is one of the major roads in George Town. Due to its length, part of it is within the core zone of the George Town Unesco World Heritage Site, until the junctions of Carnavon Street and Love Lane, while the rest is within the buffer zone.
Chulia Street is one of the oldest streets in George Town. It was laid out during the time of Captain Francis Light, and is one of the four main streets of his newly developed settlement, along with Light Street, Beach Street and Pitt Street. In its earliest incarnation, it was known as Malabar Street, after the Malabari Indians. By 1798, it had already acquired the name Chulia Street, or rather, Chulier Street, as it was then written. Until 1803, Chulier Street reached only till Love Lane.
When it was extended, the section beyond Love Lane was then known as Chulier Road. Today the whole stretch is known as Chulia Street, or Lebuh Chulia. This name is derived from the old Chola kingdom, and like Malabar, refers to the early Indians that settled there. Another name that appears regularly in the Chulia Street area is Keling, most obviously at Kapitan Keling Mosque. The name "keling" also refers to South Indian, and to be specific, was derived from the ancient south Indian kingdom of Kalinga. Among Hokkiens, south Indians are generally called kelinga. The term kelinga however, has since been regarded as offensive by the Indians, as it became associated with South Indian convicts brought into George Town. To the Hokkiens, however, kelinga remains a commonly used word to refer to south Indians, for lack of an alternative commonly accepted word.
Like most of the streets that run east-west in George Town, Chulia Street was extended seaward in the third quarter of the 19th century. The resulting extension was called Chulia Street Ghaut. Until then, there was a pier where Chulia Street ended.
For much of the 19th century, Chulia Street was occupied by Indians, Muslims as well as Hindus. The Indian Muslims contributed to the character of Chulia Street. Among the sights attributed to them, apart from the Kapitan Keling Mosque, includes the Nagore Durgha Shrine and the Noordin Family Tomb. The tomb is one of many properties owned by the wealthy Noordin family that settled in George Town since the early 19th century. Masjid Alimsah Waley is another mosque started by the Indian Muslims.
The Chinese, especially the Cantonese, began moving into Chulia Street towards the end of the 19th century where there was a decline in the number of Indian Muslims in Chulia Street as well as within George Town. Their presence is reflected in the number of Cantonese district associations along the road, namely the Ng Fook Thong and Nam Hooi Wooi Koon.
Getting there
Rapid Penang Bus 11, 101, 104, 201, 202, 203, 204, 301 and 302 pass through Chulia Street.
Sights along Chulia Street
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Chulia Street Location Map
Photos of Chulia Street
Chulia Street sign (12 November 2008)
© Timothy Tye using this photo
Chulia Street plaque (12 November 2008)
© Timothy Tye using this photo
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