Brickfields

Overview

Brickfields today is a vibrant and colourful town predominated with shops offering Indian cuisines and shops, often known as the Little India of Kuala Lumpur.

Not many are aware of how the name came about. This pioneer settlement was developed by Yap Kwan Seng, the fifth and last Kapitan Cina of KL, who named the area after establishing a kiln in the district, producing clay bricks for the city.

It then became the main depot for Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) during the administration of the British that saw many quarters being built. Some of the old quarters stood strong, especially along Jalan Rozario, until recently when it made way for new developments.

Well-known for old colonial structures and places of worship dating back to decades and a century old, it is now rapidly surrounded by numerous high-rise developments, new commercial buildings andmodern infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the former railway depot has been transformed into KL Sentral, offering a railway hub and a thriving transit oriented development.

 

Amenities and Facilities

The Little India of KL is famous for all things colourful and tasty. Locals and travellers often visit Brickfields to shop for Indian clothing, brassware and jewellery. Food options are abundant especially those looking to experience spicy and local cuisines. Wedding card printers also dominate this area with an array of printing shops offering unique designs.

There are many sweet shops, grocery outlets, goldsmiths, flower stalls, food stalls, hotels and textile shops in Brickfields.

The area is also known for famous landmarks such as the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) building and the Vivekananda Ashramam.

Brickfields is also the centre point for the Malaysia Association for the Blind (MAB) and parts of the area have been equipped with tactile guided pathways to aid the blind in moving about the area.

This multi-cultured area is also home to the Temple of Fine Arts, a cultural organisation offering various courses mainly in Southern Indian music, dance and arts.

Brickfields houses many places of worship besides Hindu temples such as Sri Sakhti Karpaga Vinayagar temple, Sri Kandaswamy temple, Sri Lankan Tamil or Ceylonese Tamil temple. Other worship places include the Maha Vihara Buddhist temple, the Lutheran Zion Church, Holy Rosary Church, St Mary Orthodox Syrian Cathedral, Church of the Lady Fatima, Madarasatul Gouthiyyah and the Three Teachings Chinese temple.

There are many primary and secondary schools, private schools, colleges and social organisations in the vicinity.

KL Sentral, just opposite Brickfields, has a lifestyle and transit mall offering everything modern and trendy.

 

Accessibility and Transportation

Being located next to a transit hub, Brickfields is easily accessible via the KL Monorail at Tun Sambanthan station and KL Sentral station while Rapid KL’s LRT line, the KL Sentral Station also allows easy commuting. Additionally, KTM Komuter’s KL Sentral station is also located there.

For those transporting from KLIA, the Express Rail Link’s KL Sentral station makes travelling very convenient. There are an abundance of buses and taxis in the area.

On road transportation, Jalan Tun Sambathan allows easy commuting to the KL city centre which is just minutes away from the area. Being adjacent to Bangsar, Mid Valley and Seputeh, Brickfields is also reachable via the Federal Highway, though the traffic there is rather notorious. Another option would be Jalan Travers, Jalan Syed Putra and Jalan Bangsar.