Malabar Settlement overlap with what was once the La Chance estate (Verification required), which was founded by Gaston de Gannes de La Chancellerie in the 1840s. Until the early 1970s, southern Malabar was primarily populated by Malabars, descendants of indentured labourers from the Malabar region in Kerala, India. The southern part of the original settlement along Malabar Road was known locally as "India". Malabar is a heavily residential area, with small to medium - size businesses distributed along its main thoroughfares. These businesses are in the main shops, food vendors and small service establishments such as tyre shops, laundries etc. The late
Dutch Malabar in the Dutch army, was taken prisoner and subsequently became a commander in the Travancore army. De Lannoy later helped Travancore to establish an organized army, introduce better firearms and artillery and to build European style forts in his state. As a result of the Kew Letters, Dutch settlements on the Malabar Coast were surrendered to the British in 1795, in order to prevent them being overrun by the French. Dutch Malabar remained British after the conclusion of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814, which exchanged the colony for Bangka Island. Unlike the Catholic Portuguese, the Protestant Dutch did not try