Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple is one of the oldest and largest Hindu temples in Singapore, located in the locality of ‘Little India,’ which has a large population of Indian nationals.
The temple dates back to the late 1800s. This was a time when influential community leaders like Arunachala Pillay, Cootaperumal Pillay, Ramasamy Pillay, Appasamy Pillay, Chockalingam Pillay, and Ramasamy Jamidar, all of whom had close working links with the East India Company, wanted to build a Hindu temple for Vaishnavite worship.
These men came together to purchase a piece of land measuring 2 acres, 2 roods, and 24 poles from the East India Company in 1851 for 26 rupees and 8 annas. Notably, Indian currency was used in Singapore at that time.
The temple, built in 1885, was referred to as Narasinga Perumal Kovil.
Ganesan, who has been living in Singapore for 25-30 years, said this temple is very popular among the Hindu community. “This is a very old and popular temple…there are many temples in Singapore. It has a marriage hall as well and is very popular among Hindus,” he told ANI.
When asked about PM Modi’s visit to Singapore, he said, “We will be happy to see him here.”
Following the construction of the original temple structure, two adjoining parcels of land were later obtained for the temple’s needs. In 1894, devotees Moona Sithumbaram Pillay and Vinasithamby Murugesu purchased a 25,792-square-foot piece of land and donated it to the temple.
The second piece of adjoining land, measuring 3,422 square feet, was obtained by the Mohammedan Hindu Endowments Board (MHEB) from the East India Company on August 15, 1912, on a 999-year lease at an annual fee of 1 Straits Settlement dollar.
Another Indian national from Tamil Nadu, who has been in Singapore since 1995 and is running a business in shipbuilding, restaurants, and film production, said, “This is one of the oldest temples in Singapore. A lot of tourists come here. It is one of the heritage sites in Singapore. Not only from India, but people from all over the world visit the temple.”
Speaking on the specialty of the ‘Little India’ area, he said, “Once you come to Little India, you can find all the solutions for groceries, food, ornaments, and jewelry…so it’s a very heritage-rich place in Singapore.”
The original temple structure remained unchanged until the early 1950s. In 1952, the MHEB decided to rebuild and reinstate the temple. The redevelopment, carried out in the early 1960s, was financed by well-known Indian community leader and philanthropist P. Govindasamy Pillay.
Pillay is credited with building the first two-story marriage hall within the temple. It was officially opened by Enche Yusoff Bin Ishak, the first president of Singapore, on June 19, 1965.
An Indian national from Tamil Nadu said this is one of the oldest temples and remains busy on Saturdays. “This place is called Little India. Many Indians here sell fruits and vegetables. This is one of the oldest temples. It remains very busy on Saturdays. There are many temples nearby,” he said. “PM Modi is coming…the relationship between India and Singapore is very good. So, it’s a great opportunity.”
The present building, excluding the Pillaiyar sanctum, Rajagopuram (grand tower entrance), and the covered walkway, was completed in 1966.
At this juncture, many elders advised that the main deity of the temple be changed from the imposing Lord Narasimha to the gracious Lord Srinivasa Perumal. The temple was thus renamed ‘Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple.’
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Singapore on Wednesday for his bilateral visit, after concluding his visit to Brunei.
During his visit to the city-state, PM Modi will call on Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and meet with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.
Many MoUs are expected to be signed during the visit. He will also meet with leaders of Singapore’s vibrant business community. “I will also engage in discussions to deepen India’s strategic partnership with Singapore, particularly in new and emerging areas of advanced manufacturing, digitalization, and sustainable development,” PM Modi said before leaving for the two-nation visit.
Notably, this visit comes just days after India and Singapore held a ministerial roundtable meeting, which saw the participation of four Union Ministers and six ministers from Singapore.
Several areas, including digitization, skills development, sustainability, health, advanced manufacturing, and connectivity, were identified at the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable held on August 26.