Melaka (Malaysia) 3

Continued from previous Post

Authored by: 

PN Sampath Kumar,

Cochin Shipyard,

Kochi

The best way to feel  Melaka is to undertake a river cruise. We reached the river mouth near the sea which is the point of embarkation. We set go our journey at around 6 PM. It is a ten kilometres to and fro ride in the same river taking about 1 hour. The buildings on both sides of the river are facing the river, some of them have been modified into restaurants with a touch of heritage in it, eying the tourists. The buildings are well lit and painted artistically, without losing the ethnicity. It is the reply of the east to the great boat cruises of Venice.

Melaka attains her full charm in the evenings and night. Well lit, with shops and restaurants open with fragrance of spices cooked, in the air, Melaka welcomes her guests till midnight.

On the other side of the river, Jonker Walk is a much sought after activity among the tourists. It is the weekend evening market. Spices, Chinese medicines, Chinese Tea, Malaysian Coffee, Malay food, Chinese food, handicrafts, furniture, fruits, flowers….everything. They say that the market place is the reflection of the culture of the land and one should visit the market atlest if nothing else is possible. We tried some street food and bought few souvenirs.

Melaka in daylight has its charm too, if you are ready to walk through the pricking heat. Melaka has no specific season. It rains whenever it felt like. But it did not rain all the three days when we were there.

After a quick breakfast, we were ready wearing shorts and T-shirts to explore the other side of the river Melaka.

This is used to be the commercial hub those days. The buildings stood as a testimony of that. We were proceeding to the Harmony Street (what a beautiful name), where the three major places of worship of yester years stood. The one that we visited first was a Buddhist temple.

The “Chen Hoon Teng Temple” is said to be originally built in 1645 using the Chinese materials, in conformity with the principles of Feng Shui, by some Kapitan (Kapitans were the community heads those days in Malaysia). Here we had a different experience contrary to the one that we had in Indian and Srilankan Buddhist temples, possibly they are practicing something called Taoism. There were no chanting by the priests. Disciples bring along incense sticks to be burnt in front of the deities. We prostrated before the son of the King Suddhodhana, in our own style.

The deity next room was an interesting one. He liked smoke of Cigarettes not incense sticks. Even liquor bottles were seen offered before him.The temples are cultural centres too. Buddhism is no exception. They have opera theatre built in traditional style.

The next temple we visited was a Ganesh temple, named Poiyatha Vinayagar Temple. This temple is said to be built in 1781 with the help of Dutch? and is the oldest Hindu temple in service in the whole of Malaysia. The exteriors and interiors differed from the traditional Tamil Style of temple architecture.

Built at the site provided by Kapitan Thaivanayagam Pillai, this temple is the presiding deity of the Chetties of Melaka in particular and the tamils in general of Malaysia and other Malaysian Tamils migrated all over the world. Many of the visitors to the temple are from Singapore who migrated in the past, in search of greener pastures.

We spent some time in the serene atmosphere and left after offering prayers to Ganesha, only after having the “Prasad” offered by the priests (tasty pongal having ingredients like rice, grated coconut and ginger in it).

The next monument, located at the end of the harmony street is Sasjit Kampong Kling. Again built in the Dutch era, and explained to be in the Sumatran Style, this is again considered to be the oldest mosques in Malaysia, having lot of interesting art objects inside.

Unluckily for us, this monument was under some repair and was not open to tourists. We had to satisfy ourselves with the magnificent views from the outside.

There are a number of places of worship throughout Melaka with contemporary construction. The floating mosque is one among them. There are other few other churches, many number of Buddhist temples with different faiths and practices , few other Hindu temples and even a Gurudwara, that are built at different periods.

We came across a (Shirdi) Saibaba Temple which is the meeting place for all he Indians in Melaka, who have kindly offered us lunch on one of the days of our stay in Melaka.

The Dutch are blamed for disturbing the commercial system prevaiing till the Portuguese ruled. They were not keen to maintain the Melaka Harbour as a commercial centre. The disturbance caused to the trading community would have aggravated the situations. They simply maintained the place as a military point and the fall of Melaka as a commercial port began.

The other theory is that the British who took possession of Melaka as part of a treaty, in the process of gaining importance to their own port city of Penang, demolished the Fortress of Melaka. They even shifted the Melakan trading population of around 15000 to Penang and made the Melaka Port City look deserted. Almost at the same time, development of Singapore by the British also caused  the fall of Melaka.

To be continued ....

Melaka (Malaysia) 2

Authored by

P.N. Sampath Kumar

Cochin Shipyard, Kochi
Emal: sapath_63@redffmal.com

We proceeded to Melaka on a two day trip last summer from Kuala Lumpur in mid March. 

Melaka could only be reached by road.  Its location is about 200 km south West of Kuala Lumpur and located in between KL and Singapore almost midway, though one need not touch Melaka to go to Singapore.

The inter city bus stations in Kuala Lumpur are no less than an international airport in design systems and facilities.   One has to report 15 minutes in advance and wait at the air conditioned boarding area.  Buses could be boarded through assigned gates only upon arrival of the bus; very professional.

The journey was comfortable and took about 3 hours.  Malaysian landscape is full of oil palms and rubber trees and occasional patches of forest.

We landed at Melaka Central (Malaya language has no script of their own; they use English alphabets to write) at around 2.00 noon.  We hired a taxi, paid 20 Ringgits and safely landed in the ‘Old Melaka Guest House’, located in the heart of the city.    

After a quick shower we left on foot, in search of some food to begin with, with a city map gifted by our friend Mr Chua, the owner of the Guest House.

Melaka is famous for its food but it was not the right time to experiment.  So we tried the first Indian restaurant we found on our way.   The food was predominantly non vegetarian which is not to our liking.  We got satisfied with the limited options available.

  

The streets had shops on both sides varying from grocery shops, hardware shops, flour mills, restaurants, etc.etc., owned either by Chinese or Tamils.  Most of them proudly displayed in their shops portraits of their grand / great grand parents.  The footpaths of most of the roads were seen floored with the then famous decorative Chinese ceramic tiles.

This town is spread over either sides of the river flowing east-west, connected by bridge (only one bridge those days) which could be covered in two days time on foot.  (Subsequent land reclamation of course changed the course of the river and flows southwards towards the end) Northern side included the sultanate, which was later converted into a fort by the invaders.  Southern side of the river had the warehouses and trading / business / public establishments.

Walking towards the north we reached the famous bridge which played a major role during the Portuguese strike. (This bridge was knocked down by the Sultans to block passage of Portuguese warriors but was rebuilt by the attackers with the help of trading community, crossed the bridge and surrounded the palace.  The sultan had by then vacated the palace and fled to Johor on the back of his elephant)

We decided not to cross the bridge and turned to our left and walked through the banks of the river, guided by our son, who was holding the city map.  We ventured into the first monument sighted, a church.   Oh, this is the on seen in the Melakan tourism literature. My son exclaimed.  This (“Christ Church”) built by the Dutch, is said to be the oldest functioning protestant church in Malaysia.  Originally built by the Dutch in 1753, and subsequently taken over by the British and consecrated by the Archbishop from Calcutta. This Church, has in its front a beautiful fountain built commemorating the visit of British Queen in the early 20^th Century.

Walking further up, following other tourists, we arrived at the hill top from where the sea and the surroundings are visible.  Here stands the historic St Paul’s church, built by Portuguese in 1521.    When the Dutch took over, they demolished it and created their own place of worship for some time.  When the British came subsequently, they used this monument as their gunnery and a strategic vantage point.

 

The church seems to have had a prayer hall, an altar, etc. but the major visible proofs of its past history are the graves.  Here is the European priest St Francis  Xavier lived for a long period and converted few thousand locals to Christianity.  He died, on his journey to China and was cremated in some island from where his body was brought back to Melaka and later to India.  The five hundred year old dead body is now preserved and kept on display in the Church at Panaji, Goa.

The Portuguese constructed a huge Fort, after demolishing the Sultan’s palace, around the Malaka hill, facing the river.  One of the monuments that withstood the test of time is ‘AFAMOSA’ (meaning the famous), the gate of the fortress, leading to the hill top, located on the foothills of the St Paul’s Church.  This claims to be one of the oldest surviving European constructions in Asia.

Excavations around Melaka are still on.   In some places, even the excavation sites are showcased with creative lighting and adequate safety measures where wall constructions of different period are identified.

Traditionally, Malaka has a unique architectural method.   Wood is used abundantly to construct buildings.

The Royal Palace of Parameswara and his successors is reproduced in its full size to the left of Afamosa.  It would have been a huge challenge before the archaeological architects.    Made of wood in traditional style, it is claimed that the palace has been assembled without using a single Nail. The mere sight of it from a distance itself is mind-boggling.    The palace acting as a museum is open to public, wherein the whole history of Melaka is displayed with great imagination and creativity.  The landscape surrounding the palace is recreated to suit the period.  Interestingly the forbidden gardens meant for the queens are reproduced (though not known exactly what type of plants and trees were grown), with rare species trees and plants.

 

Walking towards the river, a giant wheel was seen at a distance on the bank of the river.  We went closer.  It was a wooden water wheel, reproduced and erected, based on the information available.  This system was employed to keep the water at navigable level by drawing sea water to the river.

Thanks to the innovative work of the archaeological engineers to reproduce such structures.  Another such structure is the replica of a famous Portuguese ship which sank in the coast of Melaka.  This is now a maritime museum covering exhibits of various periods.

To be continued.....

Melaka (Malaysia) 1

Authored by 

PN Sampath Kumar

Cochin Shiptard, Kochi

The Port city of Melaka was ruled by one Parameswara, a Hindu King, who  is said to have embraced Islam and established the Melaka Sultanate.  His successors were defeated by Portuguese led by “Alfonso de Albuquerque” of Goa.  The Dutch followed, them and then British and later the nationalist movement culminating in independence.

The chronology of events recorded in the annals of history of most of the port cities in the east, as made known to us by the Westerners are very similar.  And this commonness they shared with Cochin, my current home town,  

attracted me to such heritage cities in the east. 

The picture portrayed in my mind about Malaysia has a lot to do with the readings in my younger days.    Cities of Penang and Melaka had already been there in my childhood mind and I wanted to visit these places as a wanderer when I grew up.

Places like Perek, are even more historically important as far as Indian connections are concerned.  The “Chola” kings have either conquered or had treaties with most of the states throughout the east.    Interestingly there is mention of one ‘Gangai Nagara’ that existed in the Perek State of Northern Malaysia.  It is possible that King Rajendra Chola had been honoured with the title of ‘Gangai Konda Chola’ after his conquering Gangai Nagara a very rich kingdom in Malaysia, which was under the rule of the Sri Vijayan Dynasty.

Due to time constraint, when I had to choose one among the three, I opted “Melaka” for its proximity to Singapore.

Legend is that after he was made to flee from Singapura, his earlier base, Parameswara a Sri Vijayan King, landed on the banks of the small river mouth (Bertam River) sometime in the year 1405.  While resting, he witnessed the interesting scene of his hunter dogs being chased by a mouse deer, forcing them towards the river.  He considered this to be a good omen and decided to establish a port City in Melaka.  To deal with the initial opposition raised by Ayuthaya, the Thai kingdom, he approached the Chinese kings for support and took the local pirates (Orang Lauts) along.   For centuries, Melaca was a strategic trade point.    The sailors had to rely on the trade winds before setting sail to the next point and had ample time to trade and accumulate goods till the winds changed direction.  

Hundreds of languages were spoken in that city.  Hundreds of ships called on the port each month.  Traders from the west, Arabia, Java, South India, Gujarat, Bengal, China and Thailand traded their commodities like spices, sandalwood, camphor, tin, etc…

As this fetched good revenue, the rulers employed professional services of Wharf masters, repairers, hydrology experts, etc, who maintained the river navigable and provided security.    The strong trading community provided sufficient warehousing, transport and banking facilities. 

But all these are history book stuff.  We wanted to witness and feel it.   I had slight fear of getting disappointed as this place never figured in any so called “conducted tour operator’s” programs promoted in India.   Initial surfing in the internet also did not suggest much more than this. However, it turnedf out to be something to cherish.  

To be continued....

Vypin Island – Pallipuram Fort

After having taken our lunch, we had two options in hand, either to go for a Siesta or for a long ride. My younger brother with whom I am staying had no problems either as it way a Sunday. However the cloudy weather was dissuading me from venturing out, for the camera could not be put to use. Nevertheless the call of my brother to move out before it really starts pouring made me get ready. When we drove out it was drizzling. We headed towards the Marine Drive of Kochi yet the destination remained undecided.  Moving further we crossed over to Bolgatty island. Here we thought of visiting the Palace now converted into a Hotel, Unfortunately we could not gain entry due to some big gun having reserved the entire hotel for some private purpose, presumably a marriage reception. Then I said let us now go to Vypin Island. In between there an another island known as Vallarpadam which is a very large container terminal. Here one could see hundreds of trucks lined up for transporting containers to and fro from the hinterland. Soon thereafter my brother stopped the vehicle at one point and told me come this is Vypin. I could not believe it but then the signboards did say so. We got down and surveyed the area, particularly the topography. I could visualise that we were standing at the Southern end of the island and farther south it was Fort Kochi. From the Boat Jetty we could see steamers arriving and departing with loads of passengers and vehicles.

Six major rivers emanating from the Western Ghat Mountain Ranges submerge into the Arabian Sea near Kochi passing through the Vembanad lake. The deltas and soil erosions appear to be the cause of six scattered islands except Wellingdon which is man made. All the islands are inhabited and movement of people used to be through waterways in the past. Now all the islands are made accessible overland with interconnecting bridges. From Fort Kochi if one has to travel by road to Vypin Island,  it would be a long distance and therefore the ferry service thrives carrying passengers as well as all vehicles.

Thanks to   trade relations with China in the distant past, some amount of technology transfers have also taken place in the area of fishing. The local fishermen deploy   “Chinese fishing nets” which were installed in the vicinity in large numbers. We could witness them while they worked. However they have limitations as regards  water coverage.  Nevertheless they have managed to sustain themselves by mechanising the operations.

After having observed the operations at the boat jetty and the Chinese fishing nets, it was time for us to move. My brother asked me, now where should we go. Vypin Island is a peace of land which is around 26 kilometres long. The main light house of the Port of Kochi is located in this island. There is also a beautiful beach known as Cherai at the north western side. What I had in my mind was a Portuguese fort at the northern end which I had seen some 5 decades back but at that time approached it from the North and not from the South. Fortunately I could remember the place name and told my brother to proceed to Pallipuram in the North direction. He also instantly said Oh! Pallipuram. There is a fort there. I have heard about it but the location was not known. I said, I am also not very much sure but the fort is in the northern end.

After travelling for over 20 minutes, we came across a hoarding to our right  with the name of the fort. We parked our vehicle on one side and got down. Although there was no need to consult any one, my brother seeing an otherwise educated looking lady going that way, casually enquired about the fort. She said Tipu Sultan’s fort is here and showed us the pathway. She also said if the fort is locked, we may check with the guard there. When I had visited long long ago, the fort could be viewed from the road but now a school building has come up in front and the approach is round about.

Western side while we approach

Pallipuram Fort in Vypin Island is the oldest European construction  anywhere in South East Asia. ‘Fort’ appears to be a misnomer. It is a hexagonal watch tower constructed by the Portuguese in 1503 AD. This was the first building they constructed on the Indian Soil for regulating/controlling sea farers from all the three sides. The Dutch defeated the Portuguese and took over the fort in 1661 AD and sold to the principality of Travancore in 1789. The entire construction is made of laterite  stones and the walls are 6 feet thick. Each side measures 32 feet and the height of the three tiered tower is 34 feet.

The main entrance is towards the East through a small iron gate and few stairs lead you onto a platform constructed above 5 feet from the ground level. There is a small opening at the right side and it appears that the space below was used for storing arms and ammunition. Apart from the ground floor two more floors above would have existed as there are spaces for mounting cannons at two different levels. In the middle there is a circular plastered space and it is presumed that a heavy wooden pole could have supported the two floors (also made of wood). This could have facilitated reaching and manning the cannons positioned facing the sea on three sides.  Right now it is open to the sky.

Although the monument is under the State Archaeology department, it appears to be grossly neglected. A broken lock was found on the main gate and no care taker was found during the duration of our stay at the place. There was lot of unwanted vegetation growing close by obstructing a clear view. Some plants have also taken roots on its walls. If the situation remains the same, the monument may not survive for long.  

Around Pahalgam (Kashmir)

11th June 2012

We got shifted to a new hotel closer to the main market early in the morning. Soon thereafter there was a call from the reception asking us to proceed to the dining hall for the complimentary breakfast. We had our fill and asked our driver to call for two local taxies to take us around.  Strangely you are not allowed to take the taxies brought from Srinagar. The rates to various packages are predetermined and are prominently displayed at the Taxi Stand. The taxies need to line up at the stand after getting a token/number. Any body desirous of a taxi shall go to the booth for booking. The person manning the booth will in turn summon the waitlisted drivers in order of seniority. The rates prescribed are exorbitant compared to what prevails elsewhere in the Country. The gullible tourists have no other option but to get exploited. The important and most visited places around Pahalgam are Betab Valley, Chandanwari and Aru Valley. All of them fall within a radius of 16 kilometres and get covered in about 4 hours for which the minimum charges are Rs.1,500/-. The taxies arrived in due course of time and we were on the move.

Arrangements for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, which will commence by 28th June, were in full swing. Pahalgam plays an important role in this pilgrimage (Yatra), it being the base camp. Tents were being erected at numerous locations for the purpose. We were heading to Chandanwari and the road runs parallel to Lidder river (aka Lambodari) for quite some distance. Several families were picnicking on its banks.  Vehicles were either parked on the road side or taken down, may be for reasons of safety. The gushing waters of the river, the meadows, pine/Devdar tree on the mountain slopes and snow covered peaks were lending a heavenly grace to the topography.

The road further ahead was winding through mountain ranges/passes at a higher elevation and by the time we were around 6/7 kilometres from Pahalgam, we came across a very quiet beautiful valley with a river  which had  masonry  embankments. There was a pucca walkway   by its side for a long distance enabling people to stroll along. The area has been developed as a picnic spot by the local authorities with certain basic amenities. A bollywood film was shot here in the 1980’s titled Betab. “Jab ham jawan honge, jaane kahan honge” a song from that film was a hit and is still liked for its lyrics and music.  From that time onwards the valley is being referred to as Betab Valley while its original name was Hajan Ghati (Valley).

Though there was a separate road diversion leading to the valley, our driver seemed to be in no mood to take us there. Instead he started explaining to us that the view from above is quite satisfying and that if we go down we need to pay Rs.150/- per head in addition to parking charges. The later part made some sense and we refrained from climbing down. We clicked our cameras to capture whatever was visible and continued our journey.

Once again we were travelling through lush green hilly terrain with devdar/pine trees lending their own charm. On reaching Chandanwari, the vehicles got parked appropriately and we walked down. Finally when the spot came under view, it appeared more like what we had seen at Sonmarg. However, the glacier was not there instead we see waters flowing from the hill  frozen for a very long stretch.  People enjoy frolicking on its bed. Whenever there a fresh snow fall people get more jubilant for the fun it affords. There was quite a number of families with their kids enjoying at the spot. The snow was a little brownish as there had been no fresh snow fall for a day or two. A pathway exists to the left which goes to Amarnath. The actual trekking for the annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath shrine starts from this point i.e. Chandanwari covering a distance of around 30 kilometres.

After having enjoyed Chandanwari for over an hour, we decided to leave and proceed to Aru valley. As usual the road to Aru was also winding through the mountains. By and large the road was OK but it was narrower than what we had experienced so far. It started raining when we reached at the Bus stop. It appeared to be a little town depending on tourists for its survival. We could get into a covered space to shelter ourselves from the rains. Within moments an old man arrived with few umbrellas. He was making a livelihood by renting out his umbrellas when it rained. We perceived this as an innovative service which was not capital intensive. But then the rentals quoted appeared to be more than the cost of an umbrella!. However every day is not a rainy day. He demanded Rs.100 for one which made us to ask him whether he is selling them or lending them. He blushed and came down to Rs.70/-. When he understood that the rains may stop any time, he agreed to take Rs.150/- for all the five he had. This enabled us to come out of the shed and follow others who were going in one direction. The road was lined up with small shops and restaurants. We had a glimpse of the meadows ahead. There were horses/ponies available to take you round but we preferred to walk. Even before coming here we were advised to walk around to enjoy the surrounding beauty. We had a divine experience looking at the meadows, streams, snow capped mountains, devdar trees all in one place. There was a Lavender Farm with a medium sized nursery and a hotel (Alpine hotel) run by the tourism department at a distance.

There was not much to do here unless one chooses to opt far trekking to several points in the vicinity. Kolahoi glacier is one where some people prefer to go. We also came across a hoarding regarding guided tours to various destinations from here. There is also a wild life sanctuary deep inside. These visits need to be pre arranged with advance bookings.

We started feeling hungry and decided to return. The rains had vanished by then. The owner of the umbrellas came to us all the way to collect them back. Finally we landed at a way side hotel and were fortunate to get good food. We were told that the cook was from Gujarat. While coming out of the hotel, we could meet the cook as well and thanked him for the nice preparations.

We were back at Pahalgam by evening and many of us spent time roaming about in the market area.