Brickfields is Kuala Lumpur’s officially gazetted Little India, occupying a compact grid of streets roughly bounded by Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Jalan Travers, and the KL Sentral transit hub. The neighbourhood has been home to Tamil, Telugu, and Malayali communities since the British colonial era, when Indian labourers settled near the railway terminus. Today it remains the most concentrated South Indian cultural district in Malaysia, alive with temple bells, jasmine garlands, and the smell of fresh-ground spices.
What is Brickfields known for?
Brickfields is known as Kuala Lumpur’s Little India, a neighbourhood where South Indian Hindu temples, authentic Tamil banana-leaf rice restaurants, silk sari boutiques, and Deepavali street decorations coexist within a few walkable blocks centred on Jalan Tun Sambanthan. The Sri Kandaswamy Kovil on Jalan Scott, dedicated to Lord Murugan, is the neighbourhood’s most prominent Tamil temple and a site of active daily worship. The Sri Mahamariamman Temple on Jalan Tun Sambanthan is another significant religious landmark drawing devotees throughout the year.
Best things to do in Brickfields
Visitors can attend morning prayers at Sri Kandaswamy Kovil, browse gold jewellery and silk sarees along Jalan Tun Sambanthan, and watch flower-garland vendors weave jasmine outside temple entrances. The neighbourhood also rewards slow exploration of Jalan Rozario and the side lanes off Jalan Scott, where Tamil-run provision shops stock fresh curry leaves, dried chillies, and imported Indian groceries unavailable in mainstream supermarkets.
- Attend morning or evening puja at Sri Kandaswamy Kovil on Jalan Scott
- Shop for silk sarees and bangles along Jalan Tun Sambanthan
- Browse Tamil grocery and spice shops on Jalan Rozario
- Walk the Little India Heritage Trail signage along Jalan Tun Sambanthan
- Visit during Deepavali for street light installations and cultural performances
Where to eat in Brickfields
Brickfields offers some of Kuala Lumpur’s most authentic South Indian food, with banana-leaf rice served at lunch on fresh plantain leaves, accompanied by sambar, rasam, and multiple vegetable curries at numerous Tamil restaurants along Jalan Tun Sambanthan and its side streets. Roti canai, teh tarik, and murukku snacks are available at mamak stalls operating from early morning. Komala Vilas on Jalan Tun Sambanthan is a long-established vegetarian South Indian restaurant well known among locals.
- Banana-leaf rice with sambar and rasam at Tamil lunch restaurants
- Roti canai and teh tarik at early-morning mamak stalls
- Murukku, thosai, and vadai from street-side snack counters
- Fresh sugarcane juice and rose milk from vendor stalls
How to get to Brickfields
Brickfields is directly accessible via KL Sentral, the city’s main rail interchange, served by the KTM Komuter, LRT Kelana Jaya Line, MRT Putrajaya Line, KL Monorail, ERL Airport Express, and KTM intercity trains, making it one of the easiest neighbourhoods in Kuala Lumpur to reach without a car. From KL Sentral station, Jalan Tun Sambanthan is a five-minute walk south. The KL Monorail’s Tun Sambanthan station also sits directly on the neighbourhood’s main street.
Where to walk in Brickfields
The most rewarding walking route begins at KL Sentral, follows Jalan Tun Sambanthan south past temple façades, sari shops, and flower stalls, then turns onto Jalan Scott to reach Sri Kandaswamy Kovil before looping back via Jalan Rozario through the neighbourhood’s grocery lanes. The streetscape along Jalan Tun Sambanthan features murals and heritage-trail markers installed during the area’s urban-renewal programme, providing context for the neighbourhood’s colonial and immigrant history.
Best time to visit Brickfields
Brickfields is most atmospheric during Deepavali (Hindu Festival of Lights, typically October or November), when Jalan Tun Sambanthan is decorated with elaborate light archways and temporary stalls sell sweets and clothing, drawing large crowds for several weeks before the festival date. Thaipusam, celebrated at Sri Kandaswamy Kovil, is another major occasion. Weekday mornings between 8 am and noon are ideal for quieter temple visits and fresh banana-leaf rice lunches before afternoon crowds build.
