Also known colloquially as "Indian Peranakans", the culture of the Chitty has drawn significant influence from the Nusantara region and to a small extent the Chinese, whilst also retaining their Hindu faith and heritage.

Like the Peranakans, the Chitty speak a Malay patois proper to their community, which is mixed with many Tamil loan words.

This can be evidenced in the architecture of the Sri Poyatha Moorthi Temple, which was built by Thaivanayagam Pillay, the leader of the Chitty people, in 1781 after the Dutch colonial government gave him a plot of land.

[4] The traditional Chitty settlement is located at Kampung Tujuh along Jalan Gajah Berang, which is also inhabited by a small number of Chinese of Tamilian ancestry and Malays as well.

As many of them are assimilating into the mainstream Indian, Chinese and Malay ethnic communities culturally, this small but distinct group of people that has survived for centuries is now on the brink of extinction.

Recently in 2013, there were controversies of development at the expense of demolishing part of Kampung Chitty, a historical and cultural village.

[5] A proposal to construct a condominium, a hotel and a road cutting through the village are seen as a threat affecting the residents and a temple built in 1827.

In the case of food, Malay spices, ingredients and the way of cooking have largely supplanted the Indian style.

A typical Chitty home is distinctly marked by mango leaves arranged in a row, dangling from above the front door.