The Hindu Mahajana Sangam () is an association of Indian workers. It is one of the Indian non-profitable organization at Penang, Malaysia which has been officially established in 1935 by waterfronts workers. Before 1935, it known as Kootakkadai ().
The name Mahajana comes from two words, maha meaning great and jana meaning people. So Mahajana can be described as great people in Tamil, though in Sanskrit, it is translated as great vehicle. The Indian workers who arrived here were farmers back home. They preferred to call themselves Kootakadai, because they work as a kootam () which is gang or group, rather than calling themselves coolies or labourers.
The Hindu Mahajana Sangam was established in 1935 after following the first consecration of the Sri Muthu Mariamman Temple in Queen Street which was held in 1933. It was established for religious observances, to promote education, social/cultural development, participates in the administration/development of the Sri Muthu Mariamman, Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani and act as union for the workers.
The sangam's madam (hall) located at 674, Jalan Kebun Bunga (formerly known as Waterfall Road) near the foothill of the Waterfall Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani hilltop temple, is named as Gandhiji Ashram in remembrance of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on 22nd Feb 1948.
History The Indian farmers for economic reasons came to Penang from South India in the early 18th Century to work in the Penang waterfront as labourers, they worked for the Indian merchants and contributed to the development of import and export spice trade in the Island.
There were also Tamil Indian freedom fighters Maruthu Pandiyar relatives and 72 soldiers were deported to Penang in the year 1802 by the Madras Presidency Government (British India Government).சிவகங்கைச் சரித்திர அம்மானை. Madras Government Oriental Manuscripts Series No: 34
Koottakadai There were more than 2,000 workers and their dependents lived in the prewar houses in the town centre than known as simpang lelong or elam muchanthi in Tamil, today this area is known as Little India. They worked in groups/gangs (kootam in Tamil) each gang consist of 50 to 30 workers with a head (Thandal in Tamil) and a clerk (Kanakku Pillai in Tamil) in charge of daily working income account which will be divided and distributed to the workers at the end of the month. They worked for the Indian merchant houses in handling their goods in the import/export trade. These workers are referred to as Kootakadai as they work as a group (Kootam). There were more than 50 groups operating in the Weld Quay waterfront handling cargo in the tongkangs or wooden barges in the import and export trade. In the many open concrete fields in the town, some of the workers were involved in storing; drying and re-bagging of betel nuts imported from Indonesia for re-export. For the workers relaxation in the evening, the authorities operated 2 government toddy shops in the town centre, one in Market Lane/Muda Lane junction which still exist today and the other in King Street which was bombed by the Japanese during the 2nd World War, this site have been since rebuilt into a warehouse for the customs department. During the War many workers joined the Indian National Army. They also had a unique form of a gathering to raise emergency funds for their needs call Needs (Thaevai in Tamil) where each worker contribute and his amount and name recorded and same amount return to him in another function.
Sri Muthu Mariamman Temple In 1833 the workers founded the Queen Street Sri Muthu Mariamman Temple (The temple was renamed Arulmigu Mahamariamman Temple in 1980 by the Hindu Endowment Board). The waterfront workers contributed to the development, construction and management of the Queen Street and Waterfall temples. The inner city Hindu population was mostly waterfront workers who established the Hindu Mahajana Sangam in 1935. The sangam was established with the main purpose of managing the Queen Street and Waterfall hilltop temples. The Queen street temple which was then managed by a few trustees appointed by the Board. One of these trustees was Mr K.V. Karuppiah Thandal, who became the inaugural secretary of the sangam.
The sangam was also involved in promoting religious observance, developing Tamil education and Indian culture. It was also involved in arbitrating disputes within the community which served as an avenue to discuss and address social problems affecting Indian workers. It set up a panchayat committee to solve these problems. The sangam started Tamil schools to educate the Tamil children, and was active in promoting cultural activities and religious practices.
Union for the workers The Hindu Mahajana Sangam was a channel in bring up the grievances of the Indian community to the proper authorities and acted as a union for the workers until 1950, when the Waterfront Workers Union was formed. This later became known as the Weld Quay Workers Union. In the early 1970s, when the Government established the Penang Labour Board, the Weld Quay Workers Union was amalgamated with the Prai Cargo Handlers and the Penang Stevedores Union to form the Penang Port Workers Union, with its office in King Street.
The sangam's Hon. Secretary, the late K. V. Karuppiah Thandal, the head of one of the numerous groups of workers was a trustee of the Queen Street Sri Muthu Mariamman temple and the sangam members were regularly appointed to the Hindu Endowment Board and the members held various positions in the temples management committees and contributed to the temples development.
The sangam's president, the late Mr. M. Doraisamy Thevar JP, PJK was the last Hindu Endowment Board member representing the Hindu Mahajana Sangam and was also the chairman of the Temples Management Committee, which carried out the 2nd consecration ceremony of the Queen Street, Sri Muthu Mariamman Temple.
Between 1960s and 70s many of the workers living in the inner city became jobless due to the Indonesian confrontation and also because the Indian merchants began to reduce the usage of the tongkangs/barges in transporting cargo to vessels and used the newly built PPC Butterworth deepwater wharves in the mainland to be cost effective. Therefore, many of the workers due to lack of job opportunities and their expanded families gradually left the town centre for economic reasons to various parts of the Island, to the slums in the Weld Quay reclamation area, Noordin Street Flats, mainland and far South, some of them even left Penang permanently to settle in India.
Building The Hindu Mahajana Sangam operated out of 47 Church Street from 1935 until 1947, when it moved to 40 Church Street. The sangam moved out of 40 Church Street in 1988 after the property was sold. It was then that it moved to its own building, the Gandhiji Ashram, at 674 Jalan Kebun Bunga.
Today it is based at the Gandhiji Ashram, a community hall at the foot of the Balathandayuthapani Temple near the Penang Botanic Gardens. The hall was built by the early Indian settles who were the waterfront workers in late 1920s and was originally known as Madaalayam or Kootakadai Madam. The Sangam intends to preserve the Dewan Mahatma Gandhi building as a heritage building as in our view this is the only building that exist today which is based on the South Indian Architecture left in the whole of Malaysia. This building is of significant historic value need to be preserved for our future generation to appreciate our heritage.
Contributions The Sangam to strengthen the religious beliefs in the community every year organizes various festivals and celebrations in Queen Street Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, Waterfall Sri Bala Thendayuthapani Hilltop temple, Penang Road Sri Kunj Bihari Krishna Temple and Dewan Mahatma Gandhi.
Dewan Mahatma Gandhi The members of the Sangam built the hall (madam in Tamil) in the Waterfall Balathandayuthapani Temple compound to cater for the devotees attending the annual Thaipusam (during Jan/Feb) and the annual Chitraparuvam Festivals (during April/May). This is a rare heritage building representing the South Indian architecture. Not only Dewan Mahatma Gandhi is used as a religious retreat, it also provides shelter to estate workers who come to Penang during the festivals. Due to lack of transport and accommodation in the earlier years, the sangam provided free temporary accommodation for the devotees from outstation attending the festivals and free vegetarian lunch to the public. This tradition is still being carried out by the Sangam members till today. On 22 February 1948 during a condolences gathering for the late Mahatma Gandhi, the members unanimously named the Sangam's hall Dewan Mahatma Gandhi (Ganhdhiji Ashram). On 5 October 2008, A ceremony was held at the Gandhiji Ashram to unveil a life size statue of Mahatma Gandhi. The ceremony was also to celebrate United Nations' International Day against violence and to commemorate the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. Beginning from August 2013, an exhibit of rare photographs of Mahatma Gandhi is open to the public from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, on every Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Pillaiyar Temple In 1951 the Sangam built the Pillaiyar Temple in the Waterfall Temple compound and held its first consecration ceremony. In the late 1970s the Hindu Endowment Board rebuilt this temple and renamed it Arulmigu Sri Ganesar Temple.
Chitraparuvam The Hindu Mahajana Sangam, with notable among the festivals, the annual Chitraparuvam Festival which is celebrated in the Tamil month of Chithirai (April/May) every year, is organised with a chariot procession of the Panchaloha () deity of Lord Subramaniyaswami from Queen Street Sri Mahamariamman Temple. It is the day of the first full moon of the first Tamil month. In early years, the festival starts with special pooja and ubayam for the Hindu Mahajana Sangam (Koota Kadai) in Queen Street Sri Mahamariamman temple, the chariot procession commences in the early morning 7.00 am and reached Waterfall Dewan Mahatma Gandhi (Gandhiji Ashram) in the afternoon, the deity then carried and placed in the ashram until the return journey of the chariot to Queen Street Sri Mahamariamman temple in the evening of the same day.
Since the early 1970s this festival is celebrated for three days. The deity of Lord Subramaiyaswami is brought in procession from the Queen Street Sri Mahamariamman temple passing through many street and roads before reaching the Waterfall Arulmigu Sri Ganesha temple. The deity is carried up to the Hilltop Arulmigu Sri Balathadayuthapani Temple. On the second day is the Chitraparuvam Festival where the deity is taken in procession around the hilltop temple compound in the evening. On the third day evening, the deity is carried down and placed on the chariot procession journey back to the Queen Street Sri Mahamariamman temple. In 1992, the Hindu Mahajana Sangam imported a new chariot from India, for the annual Chitraparuvam festival celebration to replace the old chariot which was found to be not road worthy and in a decaying condition.
On the first day, the chariot passes through Queen Street, Chulia Street, Chulia Street Ghaut, Victoria Street, Prangin Road Ghaut, C. Y. Choy Road, Magazine Road, Dato Keramat Road, Western Road and Waterfall Road before reaching the Ganesar Temple. The chariot stops at Kamatchi Amman Temple, Sivan Temple and Muneeswarar Temple along the way. Then the Lord Subramaniyaswami is carried up to the Sri Balathandayuthapani Temple at the hilltop.