About

The Sri Mariamman Temple is Singapore's oldest Hindu temple. It is an agamic temple, built in the Dravdian style. Located at No. 244 South Bridge Road, in the downtown Chinatown district, the temple serves mainly South Indian Tamil Hindu Singaporeans in the city-state. Due to its architectural and historical significance, the temple has been gazetted a National Monument and is a major tourist attraction. The Sri Mariamman Temple was founded in 1827 by Naraina Pillai, eight years after the British East India Company established a trading settlement in Singapore. Pillai was a government clerk from Penang who arrived in Singapore with Stamford Raffles on his second visit to the island in May 1819. He went on to set up the island's first construction company and brick kiln. He also entered the textile trade. Pillai rapidly established himself in business and was identified as a leader of the Indian community. The focus of this main prayer hall is the central shrine of Mariamman, which is flanked by the shrines of two secondary deities - Rama and Murugan. The main prayer hall is surrounded by a series of free-standing shrines, housed in pavilion like structures with decorated dome roofs, known as 'Vimana'. These are dedicated to the following deities: Durga, Ganesh, Muthularajah - also known as Mathurai Veeran, a rural Tamil deity, Aravan and Draupadi.