Indian businesses and services in George Town, Malaysia

George Town's Little India fills a few blocks in the heart of the UNESCO-listed heritage zone, around Lebuh Queen, Lebuh Pasar (Market Street) and Lebuh Chulia. The old shophouses hold sari and textile merchants, spice and garland sellers, money changers, and Tamil and Indian Muslim eateries, with film music playing from shopfronts. Indian traders and labourers have been part of George Town since its founding in the late eighteenth century, and their descendants, Tamil, Indian Muslim, Malayali, Punjabi and others, are Penangites of many generations.

The Sri Mahamariamman Temple on Lebuh Queen, with its ornate gopuram, stands in the middle of Little India, and the Kapitan Keling Mosque, built by the Indian Muslim community, is a few minutes' walk away. Nasi kandar, the rice-and-curry dish that grew out of Penang's Indian Muslim community, has its roots in George Town.

Thaipusam is one of Penang's biggest festivals. A chariot procession carries Lord Murugan from the city to Waterfall Road, where it ends at the Nattukkottai Chettiar Temple, and devotees carrying kavadis and milk pots make their way up to the Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple, known as the Waterfall Hilltop Temple. Deepavali brings a street bazaar and decorations to Little India in the weeks before the holiday. The heritage core is compact and walkable, and evenings, especially before festivals, are the busiest time to visit.