Pulau Tikus is the name of a district on the north-west part of George Town. Pulau Tikus proper starts near the junction between Jalan Burma and Jalan Edgecumbe and ends just before the Bagan Jermal junction. Jalan Burma (Burmah Road) forms the main artery through Pulau Tikus district. The very heart of Pulau Tikus centres on the Jalan Cantonment - Jalan Burma junction.
So far there is no full agreement on how Pulau Tikus got its name. It means "rat island", and is the same name as a rocky outcrop off the north coast of Penang, which ironically is not within sight of Pulau Tikus district. Either it was named after Pulau Tikus, the island, or it was so named because of some rodent infestation here. Whichever it was, nobody lived to tell.
The Burmese and Eurasians were the earliest settlers in Pulau Tikus. The Burmese had formed a settlement here in the early 19th century, and their presence remained until the early part of the 20th century. At that time, there was a Burmese village here called Kampong Ava - probably named after the town of Ava (today Inwa) in Myanmar. When the British administrators created the main road here, they named it Burmah Road. Off shoots of Burmah Road were also named after places in Burma. Hence we now have road names that are of Burmese origin including Burmah, Irrawaddi, Mandalay, Moulmein, Salween, Tavoy and Thaton.
Today, the Burmese presence in Pulau Tikus is best represented by the Dhammikarama Burmese Temple at Burmah Lane (Lorong Burma). It has been around since the beginning of the 19th century. The oldest part of the temple, the stupa, dates back to 1805.
The Eurasians were another early group to settle in Pulau Tikus. They are of mixed parentage, between the Portuguese and the Thais, and are Roman Catholics. The people of Portuguese descent had had no peace to practise their faith since the Dutch arrive in Malacca in 1641. Religious persecution drove them out of Malacca. They settled in various Malay states as well as in Phuket, which at that time was called Ujung Salang (corrupted in English to Junk Ceylon), an island claimed by the Kingdom of Kedah but ruled by Siam. By the late 18th century, the Eurasians were on the run again, this time due to a decree by the increasingly demented king of Siam, Phraya Taksin @ Phya Tak, who ordered all Christians in Siam to be massacred. The Eurasians fled to Kuala Kedah, and from there, they made their way to Penang.
The first Eurasian arrivals in Penang settled in town in the area bordered by Church Street, Bishop Street, Pitt Street and China Street, in rather rudimental housing, before moving with their church, the Church of Assumption (so named because they arrived in Penang on the day of the Catholic Feast of the Assumption), to the Farquhar Street area, settling along Argus Lane.
There were still remnants of Eurasian community in Phuket going into the 19th century, until the Phya Tak Massacre of 1810 forced another group to Penang. Pulau Tikus had become an attractive location to settle down. They were parishioners of the Church of Our Lady Free From Sin. They arrived in 1811, headed by Father John Baptist Pasqual. In Pulau Tikus they built their church which the pope later renamed The Immaculate Conception.
As George Town continues to grow, it eventually swallows up the village of Pulau Tikus, making it one of its suburbs. Gone are the Burmese and Eurasian villages. What remains are their temples and churches. A reminder that they were once here is etched in the names of the streets in this area.
Finding Accommodation in Penang
If you're going to Penang, you now have the option of finding accommodation in a hotel, or look for one in hostels and guesthouses. To book a room in a star-rated hotel, use the Penang Hotel Guide for Budget Travelers. To find accommodation in a Hostel or Guesthouse, use the Penang Guide to Hostels and Guesthouses. Each link provides detailed listing of the type of accommodation you can expect in Penang. Be aware that you get what you pay for. If you need a certain degree of comfort, then a star-rated hotel may be an ideal option for you. On the other hand, if you are able to forego a bit of creature comfort, then hostels and guesthouses are clean, safe, and incredibly good value for money. For accommodation in other destinations, visit Hotel Guide for Budget Travelers or Hostels & Guesthouses Accommodation Guide.
There's an islet off the shore in Tanjong Bungah, Penang, also called Pulau Tikus. Though there is no full agreement on the matter, this little island may have given its name to Pulau Tikus district.
There's a Shell petrol station along Jalan Burma next to Midlands One-Stop.
Hospitals in Pulau Tikus
Penang Adventist Hospital
Chinese Temples in Pulau Tikus
Tua Pek Kong Temple
Poh Oo Thong Temple
Jalan Burma, in front of One-Stop Midlands.
College Avenue (Lebuhraya Maktab), a leafy neighborhood in Pulau Tikus with a substantial Eurasian population worshipping at the nearby Church of Immaculate Conception.
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