The Chitty people are the descandants of early waves of Tamil traders that came from Panai in Tamil Nadu during the 1400's and the 1500's who settled in Malacca and until recently, have largely intermingled with the local Malay and Chinese population. The name 'Chitty' comes from the Tamil word Chettair, which suggests that the people are also descendants of money-lenders, but the Chitty told the people that they should not be confused as the money lenders.

Today, along with some ethnic Chinese as well, most of them are based at Kampung Tujuh in Jalan Gajah Barang, Malacca. Unlike the Tamils, the Chitty are more Malay looking, due to intermingling in the past, many of them inheriting a fairer complexion than the Tamil.

The Chitty are Hindus. However, their culture have largely assimilated into the Malay culture except for their marriage customs. According to my trip to Malacca, unlike the roof of a typical Tamil temple, in which there are rows and rows of Hindu gods above the roof, the Chitty either have only one row of Hindu gods above the roof, or like the Sri Poyyatha Temple, which has three rows, but with only one god each per row.

Tourists can visit the small Chitty museum just at the gate of the village, which exhibits several artefacts describing their culture and pottery.