Standing grandly at 23 metres tall along Tank Road, the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple has now been gazetted as Singapore’s 67th national monument by the National Heritage Board (NHB).
First established in 1859 by the Nattukottai Chettiars, subsequently rebuilt in the 80’s and re-consecrated in 2009, the temple remains a great cultural importance to the Hindu community till today as one of the focal points of the Thaipusam procession. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu deity Murugan, often referred to as “Tamil Kadavul” — God of Tamils.
Historically, the temple has been closely associated with the Chettiars’ economic and religious activities, functioning as a centre for their social and economic life in the past. In the architectural aspect, its gopuram (entrance tower) is one of the tallest in Southeast Asia, adorned with vividly coloured Hindu deities including Shiva, Vishnu, Brama and Ganesha, all handmade by Madras artisans.
“Sri Thendayuthapani Temple is the embodiment of the indelible contributions the Chettiar community has made to Singapore’s economic development, as well as an architectural treasure in our urban cityscape.” NHB’s Director of Preservation of Site and Monuments division Jean Wee remarked.
“By according the Nattukottai Chettiars’ Hindu temple the highest order of preservation status as a National Monument, we will hence be safeguarding it for its pivotal function as a place of worship as well as social space for the Indian community, and also ensuring that our built heritage is preserved sensitively in our multicultural society.”
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
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