Finally, there is an icon for the Indian community in Medan, North Sumatra. On Oct. 27, Indian Ambassador to India Pradeep Kumar Rawat, Medan Mayor H.T. Dzulmi Eldin and Gemasadhana chairman A.S Kobalen jointly inaugurated “Little India Gate” in Medan, the Indian Embassy in Jakarta announced.

“The inauguration ceremony of ‘Little India Gate’ was held today [Oct. 27] at ‘Kampung Madras’, or the ‘Madras Village’ area, in Medan. The event was also attended by leaders of various Indonesian-Indian associations belonging to Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist and Christian communities. About 7,000 people witnessed this historic moment with great enthusiasm,” the embassy said in a press release sent to The Jakarta Post.

Ambassador Rawat promised to the Medan mayoralty that the Indian Embassy in Jakarta and its consulate in Medan would promote Little India Gate as a new tourist destination in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, among Indian tourists.

“The event was a true representation of what Indonesia stands for, which is, ‘Bhinneka Tunggal Ika’, or Unity in Diversity, and also the Indian belief in ‘Vasudev Kutubakam’, or that the world is one family,” Rawat said.

“Little India [Gate] could also become a bridge between the two countries in terms of trade and commercial relations”.

Medan Mayor Dzulmi commended the effort.

“Little India Gate will be promoted as an iconic tourist spot in Medan city as this is the first such structure in all of Indonesia. The gate also represents the immense potential in the Indian community and recognition of their contribution in the development of Medan,” Dzulmi said.

Meanwhile, a Medan Representatives Council (DPD) member asked the Medan city administration to develop Little India Gate area as an Indian cultural center.

“The city government must develop the area in the vicinity of Little India Gate as a hub for Indian art, culture, cuisine and Indian products,” DPD member Parlindungan Purba said. 

The Kampung Madras area is also known as the Little India of Medan as many Indonesian-Indians live there.

Every year, according to the Indian Embassy, Kampung Madras becomes a meeting point for Hindu and Tamil festivals such as Thaipusam (Tamil New Year), Pongal and Diwali. The area is also home to the famous North Sumatra Sri Mariamman Koil temple, several mosques belonging to the South Indian Muslim community, churches including an Indian Catholic Church that dates back to 1912, a Gurudwara and a Buddhist temple.

Gemasadhana, an organization representing Indonesian Hindu and Budhhist communities, played a key role in building Little India Gate in Medan.

India and Indonesia are close friends as well as maritime neighbors and they have had civilizational links for more 2,000 years.

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