 Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, Singapore
Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple is one of the oldest and most popular Hindu temples in Singapore. It is located in the central section of Serangoon Road, at the heart of Little India in Singapore. It was built by early Indians who settled around the Serangoon Road area in the earlier part of the 19th century, when the British parcelled Serangoon Road area as an Indian enclave.
Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple (10 July 2006)
© Timothy Tye
The early Indian community at Serangoon Road were involved in the cattle trade. Machineries used in the grinding of wheat and the pressing of sesame oil were powered by cattle. The cattle was fed with pineapple skin that came from a nearby pineapple processing factory. Residents of Serangoon Road includes the Indians that work at the jail at used to exist at the corner of Bras Basah Road and Bencoolen Street.
Sri Veeramakaliamman began as a small shrine - the earliest Hindu shrine in that area - and expanded over the ages, becoming the nerve centre of the area which soon grew to become Little India today. By the middle of the 17th century, the number of Indians in Singapore had increased to over ten thousand. Sri Veeramakaliamman served as the focus point for the Indians living in Serangoon Road and surrounding areas. It was a place that made them feel at home. In the earliest days, the temple was known as Soonambu Kambam Kovil, or lime village temple, because many of the devotees worked at the limestone kilns in that area.
Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple (10 July 2006)
© Timothy Tye
Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali, fierce embodiment of Shakti and the god Shiva's wife, Parvati. The name Veeramakaliamman means "Kali the Courageous". The temple was built in 1881 by labourers from Bengal, where the worship of Kali has always been popular. Inside the temple is a rather graphic statue of Kali. It shows her wearing a garland of skulls and ripping out the insides of her victims. There are also more peaceful images of Kali, showing her sharing peaceful family moments with her sons Ganesh, and Murugan. The central hall of the temple dates to 1953. One of the earlier statues of Kali dates to 1908.
Although it was built by Bengalis, the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple was built according to South Indian Tamil style, as opposed the style of temples in Bengal.
Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple underwent an overhaul in 1983, when the entire structure was rebuilt. In the midst of the reconstruction, workmen discovered ancient pieces of statues which may date to the 19th century. These were the locally made figurines, as the later ones were imported from India. The new temple was completed at a cost of $2.2 million. It has a huge rajagopuram (entrance tower) as its main feature.
Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple (10 July 2006)
© Timothy Tye
Contact
Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple
141 Serangoon Road, Singapore 218042
Tel: 6 2954538/6 2934634
Fax: 6 2989361
E-mail: sriveera@starhub.net.sg / kumar@sriveeramakaliamman.com
Official Website: http://www.sriveeramakaliamman.com/
Getting there
You may visit this place as part of the Little India Walking Tour. To come here direct, the nearest MRT stations are the Bugis MRT Station (EW12) and Little India MRT Station (NE7).
Location Map of Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple
|
