Sri Sivan Temple () is a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

for the god

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

. The temple was originally located in

Potong Pasir Potong Pasir ( ) is a housing estate located between Toa Payoh and Sennett Estate in the Central Region of Singapore. For urban planning purposes, it is classified under the Toa Payoh area. Potong Pasir is accessible by the MRT station on th ...

from where it was moved three more times before finally coming to the present location, adjacent to Foo Hai Ch'an Buddhist Monastery, in front of

Paya Lebar MRT station Paya Lebar MRT station ( ) is a Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore), Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station on the East West MRT line, East West line (EWL) and Circle MRT line, Circle line (CCL) in Geylang, Singapore. Despite the name, this sta ...

exit C at Geylang East Avenue 2.

History

Former sites af Shiva Lingam at Potong Pasir, MacDonald House and Dhoby Ghaut (before 1850s)

The

Sivalinga A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Upanishads and epic literature, where ...

was originally present in Potong Pasir, which was then moved to a spot in the lower end of

Dhoby Ghaut Dhoby Ghaut ( ) is a place in Singapore that often refers to the MRT station of the same name, which is a major interchange station on Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit network connecting the North-South Line, North East Line, and the Circle Li ...

, then to a site near where

MacDonald House The MacDonald House is a prominent building and monument in Singapore, located at Orchard Road in the Museum Planning Area, within the Central Area of the country. Built in 1949, it was the first building to be fully air-conditioned in Sout ...

stands today, and then on to the Orchard Road site where it used to be until 1983..

Former temple site at Dhoby Ghaut (1850-1983)

which was earlier worshiped at Potong Pasir then moved to MacDonald House and finally to Dhoby Ghaut Green. At Dhoby Ghaut Green, an in-situ temple was built where the lingam was worshiped. This temple stayed there till 1983. In 1898, a further phase of the recorded development of the Sri Sivan Temple began. The reconstruction work took several years to complete. One Mr V Nagappa Chetty and his wife were responsible for this, largely with their own funds and from donations collected from local Hindus.

WWII damage (1942)

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, some of the statues of secondary

deities A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

and a part of the temple structure were damaged by shells that landed around it. Towards the end of the war, renovations were made to the temple and a

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

ceremony was held in July 1943. In 1954, the Municipal Commissioners wanted the temple to be setback from the road to widen

Orchard Road Orchard Road, often known colloquially as simply Orchard, is a major -long road in the Central Area, Singapore, Central Area of Singapore. A famous tourist attraction, it is an upscale shopping area, with numerous internationally renowned de ...

. After long drawn discussions, a compromise was reached between the Board and the

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

. In consideration of the temple giving up of the front land, the temple was given $50,000 and allowed to be rebuilt at the same site. Plans to rebuild the temple were drawn up in 1957. Local contractors completed the construction works in April 1962 and skilled craftsmen from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

carried out the

sculptural Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable s ...

and

ornamental Ornamental may refer to: *Ornamental grass, a type of grass grown as a decoration *Ornamental iron, mild steel that has been formed into decorative shapes, similar to wrought iron work *Ornamental plant, a plant that is grown for its ornamental qua ...

works. The consecration ceremony was held on 9 December 1964.

Former temple site at Serangoon (1983-1993)

In 1983, the Government decided to acquire the land on which the temple stood. An MRT station was to be built underground. Therefore, a transit temple was built next to the

Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple or Sri Perumal Temple () is one of the oldest temples in Singapore. It is located in Little India within the planning area of Kallang along Serangoon Road, where its tall ''Gopuram'' (tower) shows the different incar ...

Serangoon Road ''Serangoon Road'' is an Australian-Singaporean drama television series that premiered on 22 September 2013 on ABC and HBO Asia. It is a detective noir drama set in Singapore in the mid-1960s. The series takes its name from the eponymous roa ...

while a more suitable and permanent site was being identified. The temple was demolished and all its deities where temporarily shifted to a new site at Serangoon Road. All the god-forms from the Orchard Road Temple were installed in the new site at Serangoon Road which allowed for all daily prayers and festivals celebrated to be continued Temple remained at this temporary site for 10 years til 1993..

Present site at Geylang (since 1993)

On May 30 1993, the temple relocated from Seragoon Road opened at its present site in Geylang. The

Hindu Endowments Board The Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) in Singapore. Role Temple and Community Organization management The Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) manages the Sri Mariamman Temple, ...

had intended to make the new temple unique in appearance, features and facilities. The Board and the management committee of the temple consulted well-known temple

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

s in India. The Board sent a team to study the best of both the North and South Indian Temples. What followed was a unique design with an

octagon In geometry, an octagon () is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, which alternates two types of edges. A truncated octagon, t is a ...

al structure with a multi-purpose hall and staff quarters. The new temple was built at a cost of $6 million on a 3,000 sq. meter plot at Geylang East. The new site is about four-and-a-half times bigger than the temple's former site at Orchard Road. After ten years of temporary residence at Serangoon Road, the Sri Sivan Temple was consecrated at its present Geylang East site on 30 May 1993. Its 2nd consecration ceremony was held on 27 January 2008, and its 3rd consecration ceremony was held on 8 June 2025.

Management Committee

An order placing Sri Sivan Temple under the Mohammedan and Hindu Endowments Board (set up in 1907) was gazetted on 18 October 1915. In 1968, the

(HEB) was formed to manage four temples including the Sri Sivan Temple. The Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) under the purview of the

Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) was a ministry of the Government of Singapore tasked with building a "cohesive and resilient" society in Singapore. On 1 November 2012, the MCYS was restructured and became the M ...

(MCYS) manages Sri Sivan Temple.

Social activities

Several major festivals are celebrated at Sri Sivan Temple. * Daily Pooja at 6 am, 8 am, 12 noon, 6 pm, 7 pm and 9 pm *

Maha Shivaratri Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually to worship the deity Shiva, between February and March. According to the Hindu calendar, the festival is observed on the fourteenth day of the first half (night start with darkness - ...

* Vasantha Navratri *Guru Peyarchi *

Navratri Navaratri () is an annual Hindu festival observed in honor of the goddess Durga, an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess. It spans over nine nights, first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and aga ...

* Skantha Shasti * Prathosam - twice a month, free feast with prayers starting at 4 pm and food at 6 pm.

References

External links

Sri Sivan Temple website (new official website, launched on 1 June 2016)Sri Sivan Temple on the Hindu Endowments Board website
{{use dmy dates, date=September 2014 Geylang Hindu temples in Singapore Indian diaspora in Singapore Tamil diaspora in Singapore Tourist attractions in Singapore