About Sri Mariamman Temple

The temple is dedicated to Goddess Mariamman, known for her power in curing epidemic illnesses and diseases. The building of Sri Mariamman Temple was the inspiration of Mr Naraina Pillai, a clerk with the British East India Company in Penang. Mr Pillai is known to have accompanied Sir Stamford Raffles (Founder of Singapore) on his second visit to the island in 1819. Mr Pillai who set up the first brick kiln in Singapore, rapidly established himself in business and was identified as a leader of the Indian community. The East India Company’s original allotment of land for a Hindu Temple was along Telok Ayer Street. However, as it had no convenient source of fresh water needed for rituals, Colonel William Farquhar allowed Mr Pillai to occupy an alternative plot near what is today’s Stamford Canal in 1821. Due to changes in colonial town planning, the Stamford Canal site was not made available. The South Bridge site where the temple currently stands (in the Chinatown area) was finally granted to Mr Pillai in 1823. By 1827 a temple structure made of wood and attap was built at South Bridge Road. “Sinna Amman” a small deity of Sri Mariamman was installed by Mr Naraina Pillai in 1827 when the temple was first built. It is an interesting fact that this deity can be found in the main sanctum of the present day temple. In 1843, a building made of plaster and brick was put up for the first time. It was only in 1962, one hundred and nineteen years later that a new temple structure was developed complete with intricate sculptural works reminiscent of temple architecture in India. The original gopuram (grand tower entrance) was constructed in the late 1800’s but did not contain much ornamental works. It was rebuilt in the 1930s and repaired and restored with elaborate proliferation of sculptures in the 1960s. In the last hundred years, the original temple structure under went several redevelopment phases.