"The Main Street" Sculpture, Chulia Street

"The Main Street" (GPS: 5.41699, 100.33808) is a steel-rod sculpture installed in 2013 by the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP). Based on the caricature of cartoonist Lefty, it graces a wall on Chulia Street, near the junction with Pitt Street.

"The Main Street" celebrates the urban morphology of Chulia Street, from the time it was a main street for a largely South Indian community, when Francis Light established the British colony, until today, when it has evolved into a backpacker haven.

In the years immediately following the founding of George Town, there was an influx of Indians into the newly established town. Although the initial batch were convicts brought over as free labour, in their heels came merchants and traders. The Chettiar community of Tamils set up businesses, particularly in trading and money-lending.

The Main Street Sculpture, Chulia Street, George Town, Penang (30 June 2012)


From the second quarter of the 19th century onwards, the number of Indians in George Town began to ebb, and by the third and fourth quarter, the sudden influx of Chinese immigrants tipped the demographics, changing the character of Chulia Street from being largely Indian to one that is predominantly Chinese. The Cantonese, in particular, bought up properties along Chulia Street, making their presence felt in an otherwise Hokkien Chinese town. Although Cantonese became more widely spoken, Hokkien remains the lingua franca of Penang Chinese people.

The role of Chulia Street as a backpacker haven began in the early 1970s, when it began attracting hippies as well as American G.I's on R&R. Into this mix came Australians as well as those attached to the Royal Australian Air Foce (RAAF). Although it continues today as a destination of budget travellers, the character of Chulia Street has moved on. Since the inscription of the city as a World Heritage Site, the street has received a gradual makeover, with many dilapidated properties bought up and transformed into boutique hotels. The gentrification of this street is expected to continue.

Further Reading

The Little India of George Town represents a fraction of the Indian settlement that once encompassed much of the town. To learn more about it, read my article, Little India of George Town, Penang.

List of Steel-Rod Sculptures by Lefty, Marking George Town Sculptures and Penang Street Art