Fort Point Hindu Temple, Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah, George Town
Fort Point Hindu Temple is located at Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah in the heart of George Town's UNESCO World Heritage Site. This small Hindu shrine has a history dating back to the British colonial era, when Indian convicts were brought in to develop the infrastructure on Penang Island.
It now sits within a small plot of land owned by the Royal Malaysian Navy at the northeastern tip of the George Town promontory.
History[]
The Hindu shrine was probably established sometime in the 19th. century, when the British were bringing in Indian convict labourers en masse onto Penang Island. At the time, the Padang within the nearby Esplanade was the place where newly-arrived Indian convicts were sorted out.
The British administrators of Penang Island continued this practice for much of the 19th. century in order to develop the infrastructure on the island. For instance, it was the ethnic Indians who built the adjacent Fort Cornwallis, worked on the streets of George Town and cleared the jungles for further development.
The Hindu shrine currently sits within a plot of land owned by the Royal Malaysian Navy along the northeastern seafront at Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah. Next to the shrine is the Royal Malaysian Navy station, where the Resident Naval Officer of Penang resides.
Political Representation[]
Penang State Government[]
N.26 Padang Kota State Assemblyman : Chow Kon Yeow (Democratic Action Party)
Malaysian Federal Parliament[]
P.049 Tanjong Member of Parliament : Ng Wei Aik (Democratic Action Party)