Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore

About Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore

The Sri Mariamman Temple at 244 South Bridge Road, in Chinatown, is Singapore's oldest Hindu temple and a National Monument. Its presiding deity is Mariamman, the mother goddess worshipped for protection from illness, with shrines to Rama and Murugan and images of Durga, Ganesha, Shiva, Krishna, Draupadi and the five Pandavas.

The temple is built in the Dravidian style. Its six-tiered gopuram over the entrance is covered with sculpted deities and figures; inside, richly ornamented columns, painted ceilings and a mandala diagram surround the sanctum. The great double doors are hung with gold bells, and the perimeter wall is decorated with sculptures of seated cows.

The temple hosts Singapore's Theemithi (fire-walking) festival, held about a week before Deepavali, when devotees walk across a pit of glowing embers in honour of Draupadi. Deepavali and Aadi Perukku are also celebrated, and the temple is reconsecrated (Kumbhabhishekam) every twelve years — most recently on 12 February 2023. It is managed by the Hindu Endowments Board.

History

The temple was founded in 1827 by Naraina Pillai, a government clerk from Penang who arrived in Singapore with Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819. The first shrine, built of wood and attap, housed a small image called Sinna Amman. The grounds expanded in 1831, the oldest brick structure dates from 1843 and major building took place in 1862–1863. A three-tiered gopuram was raised in 1903 and replaced by the present six-tiered tower in 1925, restored in the 1960s. The temple was gazetted as a National Monument on 6 July 1973.