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Dear friends,
Today we will see another Amman Temple of Singapore, SRI VEERAMAAKALIAMMAN TEMPLE in Little India, Singapore. It is on Serangoon road and is very popular as the area has a concentration of tamilians, and hence, is called Little India.
On to the Temple.
Varadarajan
SRI VEERAMAAKAALIAMMAN TEMPLE
British Colonial government . The British administration outlined settlement patterns along ethnic lines and for the Indians this marked the beginning of the development of the Serangoon Road area as an Indian sector. As the migrant population grew, "Singapore's Little India" began to attract more Indians from the nearby Market Street and Chulia Street areas. Many of these early Indian settlers in the Serangoon Road area were involved in cattle - related activities.
As the Indian in the area became more established they were able to help newcomers to settle in the area, and so Serangoon Road began to flourish. The cattle trade led to many related business ventures in the area. The cattle, for instance, were used to operate machines to grind wheat and press sesame oil. Pineapple preserving factories were also, well situated in the area as the pineapple skins could be used to feed the cattle.
Around the middle of the 19th century, there were some 13,000 Indians in Singapore, many of whom must have been in or near the Serangoon area. It is not surprising, therefore, that the need for a place of worship in the area arose. Therefore, the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple was built to cater for hundreds of Indians who had come to live in a foreign land.
Having a temple in their midst must have helped these pioneers feel more at home as it provided an important avenue for them to recreate in Singapore what they had been familiar within their country of origin.
The choice of Sri Veeramakaliamman as the chief deity of the temple is significant. Referred as a powerful goddess and Destroyer of Evil, her presence answered an important need of the early migrants - the need to feel secure in a new land.It seems that in the early days worship at the temple began at a small shrine with carvings and inscriptions. From these beginnings the temple was gradually built. According to one account, Hindu residents in the area helped to build the temple.
The various shrines are:
SRI VEERAMAKALIAMMAN
SRI PERIACHI
SRI VINAYAGAR
SRI SUBRAHMANYAR
SRI VISALAKSHI
SRI LAKSHMI DURGAI
SRI DHAKSHINAMURTHY
SRI KASI VISWANATHAT
SRI RAMAR
SRI IDUMBAR
SRI BHAIRAVAR
SRI CHANDIKESWARAR
SRI SANI BHAGAVAN
SRI NAGAR
The temple is located in a very busy area dominated by Tamilians and all Hindu festivals are celebrated . On Tuesdays and Fridays it will be packed full of devotees. Indian resaurant Komala Vilas is located very close to the temple.
So, if you visit Singapore get the blessings of Sri Veeramakaliamman without fail and taste our dishes in Komala Vilas.