National Monuments


National Monuments

 Sri Mariamman temple

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Our first stop was the Sri Mariamman Temple, the first Hindu Temple in Singapore. It was built by Indian labourers commissioned by Mr Naraina Pillai in 1827. Mr Pillai was a clerk of the East India Company who followed Raffles to Singapore. The temple was initially made out of wood and attap but was later reconstructed using bricks in 1843 with the help of Indian convicts from India. Unfortunately, it was brought down in a fire that broke out in 1910. There were several other redevelopments through the decades as well, furnishing the temple with better structures and elaborate designs through the years. 

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The temple is situated at the intersection of Pagoda Street and Temple Street and such has resulted in the namings of the respective streets. The presence of a Hindu temple in a largely Chinese dominated area shows evidence that there was a substantial Indian community living or working in Chinatown during the time of early Singapore.


Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

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 Elderly playing Chinese Chess at designated tables. Reminded of how the elderly in China also spend a large portion of their leisure playing cards or Chinese chess in their gardens.

After lunch at Chinatown Complex Food Centre, we were greeted by a Chinese temple in the vicinity - the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple along South Bridge Road. The temple contains a tooth relic said to be from Buddha. It was a gift presented by a Burmese monk, Venerable Cakkapala who suggested that the tooth relic be placed in a temple for pilgrims. Hence, the name and establishment of the temple in 2007.
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After journeying through Ann Siang Hill, we arrived at Telok Ayer Street on which stands three religious monuments and places of worship - the Al-Abrar Mosque, Thian Hock Keng Temple and the Nagore Dargah Heritage Centre. The presence of different religious buildings lining the same street reveals Singapore’s cultural diversity since its early days - a valuable trait that should be preserved.

   Al-Abrar Mosque

First stop was the Al-Abrar Mosque, a mosque for the Chulias, one of the earliest groups of immigrants in Singapore. Constructed in 1827, it was a mere hut earning its Tamil name as kuchu palli which means hut mosque. The current building that we see now has a close to 200 year long legacy since its establishment in 1827.

Thian Hock Keng Temple

Following the Al-Abrar Mosque is the Thian Hock Keng Temple which translates to “Palace of Heavenly Happiness”. It was constructed by the Chinese migrants in 1842 for the deity, Mazu who is said to protect seafarers. The building materials of the temple were imported from China. Upon arriving safely in Singapore, Chinese immigrants especially from the Province of Fujian would offer joss sticks as a mark of appreciation at the temple. The temple which is the oldest Hokkien temple in Singapore was stated to be a national monument in 1973.


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Nagore Dargah Heritage Centre
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Lastly, next to the Thian Hock Keng temple is the Nagore Dargah Heritage Centre. It started off as an Indian Muslim shrine of the Chulias to honour Shahul Hamid, a holy man from South India. Established between 1828 - 1830. Limestone was imported into Singapore for the building of the shrine. It was constructed shortly after the Al-Abrar Mosque and around a decade before that of the Thian Hock Keng Temple. Across the century, it passed through the hands of different trustees and in 1910, the trustees assigned to the Nagore Dargah Shrine were the same few assigned to the Al-Abrar Mosque. In 1974, it was declared a national monument and continued to be open to the public till the 1990s when the building structure was said to be unstable. It was only reopened in 2011 as a Heritage Centre after major renovation works in 2007.

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