Visit Malaysia's oldest Hindu temple, on land the Dutch granted the Chitty leader
1781, and the Chitty community's own
A small 1781 temple on Jalan Tokong, a few doors from Kampung Kling Mosque: one hall, Vinayagar in the back room, a subsidiary Muruga altar. Free, donations, open daily.
Why it's unique
Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple was built in 1781 by Thavinayagar Chitty, headman of the Chitty community, on a plot the Dutch colonial government granted him. It is the oldest functioning Hindu temple in Malaysia and one of the oldest in maritime Southeast Asia.
The part that matters on the ground is whose temple it is. It belongs to the Chitty, the fifteenth-century Tamil-descended creole community, rather than to the later Tamil migration, so it and Kampung Chitty 1.5 km west are one story rather than two sights.
Before you go
It is tiny and easy to walk straight past. A single hall with Vinayagar, that is Ganesha, in the back room and a Muruga altar to the side.
Carry the connection with you: this is the Chitty community's temple and their village is 1.5 km west, so seeing both in a day turns two stops into one story. Remove your shoes, the floor is cool marble and the doorway is low.