- K. Thamboosamy
K. Thamboosamy Pillay was a prominent Malaysian of Tamil origin during the pre-independence years. He was considered the leader of the Tamil community. He was a wealthy businessman, tin miner, moneylender and government contractor.
Thamboosamy was one of the founders and one of the original Trustees of
Victoria Institution as well as the founder of theSri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur .Background
Born in
Singapore in 1850, K. Thamboosamy Pillay received his early education atRaffles Institution . He sailed toKlang in 1875 withJames Guthrie Davidson , when the latter was appointed Malaya's first British Resident. Prior to that, he had been a clerk in the legal firm in which Davidson was a partner.He was later transferred to the Treasury where he eventually became chief clerk and acted as State Treasurer on a few occasions. He was sent to
India by the Malayan Government to bring over the first batch of Indian immigrants for the Railway and Public Works. Thamboosamy resigned from Government service in the 1880s and, going into partnership with TowkayLoke Yew , managed the New Tin Mining Company in Rawang. They were the first to use electric pumps for mining in Malaya.A Justice of Peace and member of the prestigious KL Sanitary Board, Thamboosamy was the acknowledged leader of the Tamil community. His other business interests included coffee planting, real estate and construction. He was a member of both the Selangor Club and the Turf Club and owned several horses.
Thamboosamy died in 1902 in
Singapore , where he had gone to attend a meeting at the Singapore Turf Club.Contributions
A Justice of Peace and member of the prestigious KL Sanitary Board, Thamboosamy was the acknowledged leader of the Tamil community in Malaya, especially in
Kuala Lumpur .Thamboosamy was one of the founders and one of the original Trustees of
Victoria Institution . One of the sports houses in VI is named after him. His son, K. T. Ganapathy Pillay, was a Victorian and served as the second President of the VIOBA.Religion
The
Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur was founded by Thamboosamy in 1873 and was initially used as a private shrine by the Pillai family. The family threw open the temple doors to the public in the late 1920s and eventually handed the management of the temple over to a board of trustees.This is the oldest functioning
Hindu temple inMalaysia . It is also reputed to be the richest in the country. The Temple was originally sited somewhere near theKuala Lumpur Railway Station . It shifted to its present location along Jalan Tun H.S. Lee (next to KL's Chinatown) in 1885.He was also said to have discovered
Batu Caves , with its "vel "-shaped entrance, and was inspired to start aHindu temple in devotion toLord Muruga .So great was Thamboosamy's philanthropic spirit, that he donated money to whoever needed it, regardless of race or religion. He contributed a sizeable amount of money to the building fund of
St. Mary's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur in 1893, despite being aHindu .Awards and Recognition
A street in the
Chow Kit district and a Tamil primary school in Sentul are also named in his memory.References
* [http://lamjo.tripod.com/smt.html Kuala Lumpur - Sri Mahamariamman Temple]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
