Bygones and Byways focuses on South African family history, genealogy, heritage and history. Copyright: Anne Lehmkuhl. Email me for your family history research or general history enquiries.
Showing posts with label Indian settlers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian settlers. Show all posts
21 November 2008
LARGEST MOSQUE
Durban's 127 year old Jumma Musjid mosque was founded in the early 1880s when Aboobaker Amod (Jhaveri), said to be the first Indian trader to arrive in Natal in 1874, purchased a site, Sub A of Block BB, in Durban. Lot B of Block BB was bought later, as well as Lot D of Block BB, according to the Deeds Office. Today, Jumma Musjid is the largest mosque in the southern hemisphere, accommodating 7000 worshippers. The mosque has also been declared a national heritage building.
13 July 2008
HISTORIC TREE
The Banyan Tree, once the meeting place of indentured Indians in Phoenix, has been lit up by the eThekwini municipality. The tree, planted at the Elim Residential Home in Grove End, is the national tree of India. It got its name from the bania, or Indian traders, who used to sit under its shade. Pastor David Nadesan of the Berea Church asked the council to recognise the tree’s heritage. The tree was planted when the first Indians arrived in Natal in 1860. The illumination would create interest among the community.
22 June 2008
FINDING INDIAN ROOTS
The mid-1800s saw thousands of Indians migrate to other British colonies, including Natal, to work on sugar plantations. Today, their descendants are connecting with the places where their ancestors lived in India. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is helping to make their search easier. Its Diaspora Programme helps trace the ancestral roots of those who migrated during the colonial period as indentured labour. Even though indentured workers had their names, village and district address entered on their emigration passes, there are still problems that show up. Many names have changed their spellings over the years, while villages have been incorporated into different districts. There could be several villages with the same or similar names. The IGNCA programme has trained local researchers who collect information and produce a comprehensive report. Researchers look through old land records, talk to elderly people and possible relatives, and check birth and death registrations.
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