SRI MARIAMMAN TEMPLE
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Singapore's oldest Hindu temple, located in the heart of Chinatown. A beautiful place of worship not to be missed!
This temple, dating from 1827, is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore. It was built by Naraina Pillai an Indian who was asked by Raffles to accompany him on his second trip to Singapore in May 1819. Shortly after settling in, Narain Pillai established himself as Singapore's first brick maker and building contractor. He naturally became the leader of the Indian community in Singapore. It was Raffles himself who gave him a piece of land to build an Indian temple. Initially built in wood, the temple was rebuilt in brick and stone in 1842. The ceiling paintings in the hall were renovated in 1984. It is dedicated to Mariamman, both the beneficent goddess of Rain who cures cholera and the Mother Goddess. One cannot but admire the amazing pyramidal gopuram, five stories high and 11 m high, added in 1936. Its high reliefs include 72 statues of gods and 400 characters from the life of Mariamman. The sculptures of sacred cows, life-size, with the air of ecstasy and of blue-gray color, follow one another on the walls every 5 or 6 m. The temple is divided into a sanctuary, a prayer hall and the gopuram. Prayers are announced with the sound of clarinets, cymbals and drums.
Some marked areas are reserved for devotees but it is possible to visit the temple freely and enjoy for the lucky ones celebrations during which, the statues are moved from room to room, all interspersed with prostrations, offerings and songs.
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