Brief History of the Chetti Melaka

Historical records stated that the members of Chetti (our forefathers) first came to Melaka as merchant traders since before 1400s (before the Malacca Sultanate). They were actually the Tamils who came from Coromandel Coast, from Kalingapatnam and other ports of Southern India such as Kanchipuram and Nagapatnam. At that time, they were trading at Kampung Keling. (The word ‘Keling’ is taken from their origin, Kalingapatnam, Kaling which became Keling). Among the items traded were spices and silk fabrics. While waiting for the monsoon wind interchange (about 6 months), they got married with the local women. When they returned to India, they had to leave their wives in Melaka. The married women helped to continue their husband’s business and started to learn the Hindu cultures. The Chettis started to adapt themselves with Malay Language, Malay customs, etiquettes, food and costumes while still maintaining Hindu cultures. They were rich merchants in Melaka. Tomé Pires has stated that the Chettis at that time had very large and beautiful houses which made from wood. 

During the Portuguese colonization, one of the Chetti members, named as Naina Chetty (aka Nina Chatu) was granted the appointment of Bendahara. At that time, the Portuguese government imposed lowest taxes to the Chettis compared to the others. During the Dutch colonization, the Chettis’ houses were burnt down and the community moved to Gajah Berang, Tengkera (formerly known as Tranquerah) and Bachang. The name of Gajah Berang was taken from Kanchipuram. Due to the caste system and strict rules in Southern India, the community decided to settle down in Melaka. They called themselves as ‘Chetti Melaka’ which means Melaka traders. Few of the Chettis converted to Muslim, and few of them married with the Chinese and Nyonya.

They were encouraged to change their occupation and take up agriculture. They planted paddy, cereals, fruits and vegetables. Those who are richer bought pieces of land from Dutch where as the rest worked under the richer ones. Dutch re-named Kampung Keling as Kampung Belanda encompassing Heeren Street and Jonker Street. Dutch government granted a piece of land in Goldsmith Street (Jalan Tukang Mas) to the community’s leader during that time, Thaivanayagam Chitty. The Chetti’s first temple, Sri Poyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple (SPVMT) was built in 1781. Later, few other temples were built.