Chindians of Nilgiris



An offspring born as a result of marriage between an Indian and Chinese is known as Chindian. This term is very common in Malaysia as there are quite a number of Chindians in my country.


Nilgiris
Back in the 19th century, there were a lot of Chinese convicts in British Malaya. The prison was not enough to accommodate them so these convicts were sent to a prison in Nilgiris.

Nilgiris is a hilly region located in the west of Tamil Nadu. It is known for its natural beauty and tea plantations.

During a stormy night in 1868, 12 of these Chinese convicts escaped from the prison. They were arrested 2 weeks later in Malabar (present day Kerala).

Some of the Chinese remained in Nilgiris. They married the local Paraiyar tribe women and settled down on the hill slopes between Naduvattam and Gudalur. Their descendants with typical Chinese slant eyes developed into a colony over there.

This is one of the earliest records of Chindian families in modern history outside Malaysia.

I wonder what happened to the Chindians of Nilgiris.
at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Awang Hitam: The Forgotten Guardian of the Malay Spiritual World

AI generated artistic impression of Awang Hitam Today, Malays in Malaysia are Muslims. However, the Islamization of the Malays did not happe...

  • The Indian confusion - Race, Caste, Clan & Surnames
    Before you read, keep in mind that this was not written with the intention to divide the people. It was written with the intention to exp...
  • Dogs of Tamil Nadu
    Pictures taken from Google. Credit goes to the various people who uploaded them. I apologise for not being able to identify the original ow...
  • Muniswaran Worship
    (Pictures taken from Google except for the Banyan tree) Hinduism is a world of its own. It is not a single book religion like the ...