It was in the year 1857, when the disbandment of the Ceylon Malay rifle regiment was under contemplation, that Messrs Abdul Hameed Bahar, Baba Oonus Saldin, Ahamat Bahar, Subadar Adjutant Jumat and Baba Deen Borham met and formed the pensioners and general fund. The object of this body was to build a mosque and purchase a block of land for a burial ground. Their efforts proved successful and both objectives were accomplished within a short time.