Thendayuthapani Temple

Name

Other names: Chettiar Hindu Temple

Proper name: Sri Thendayuthapani Temple

Tamil: ஸ்ரீ தண்டாயுதபாணி கோவில்

Location

Country: Singapore

Location: 15 Tank Road

Architecture and culture

Primary deity: Murugan

Architectural styles: Dravidian architecture

History

Date built: 1859

Creator: Nattukkottai Chettiar Community

The Sri Thendayuthapani Temple, better known as the Chettiar Hindu Temple, is one of Singapore Hindu community’s most important monuments. It was built in the year 1859 by Nattukkottai Chettiar community.   This Shaivite temple, dedicated to the six-faced Lord Subramaniam (Lord Muruga), is at its most active during the festival of Thaipusam, where the procession ends here. It is here, during the annual Thaipusam festival, that hundreds of pilgrims, their bodies pierced by hooks, spears and spiked steel structures called Kavadi, end their walk from the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple on Serangoon Road.

The act of penance is carried out by devotees in gratitude to Lord Subramanian or Murugan, son of Lord Siva, for granting their prayers of supplication.

The First Consecration Ceremony

As quoted in their website, the slab stones found at Sri Thendayuthapani Temple show that the temple was consecrated on 4.4.1859. That would mean that the building works had started one or two years earlier.

In fact the community bought the land, where the present temple stands, from the estate of Mr Oxley, the first Surgeon General of Singapore. The temple in its original form was of a simple structure.

At the entrance to the temple, two raised platforms similar to that found in Chettiar households in Tamil Nadu were erected. It had an alangara mandapam and an artha mandapam.

The alangara mandapam was used to house the decorated deities on special occasions while the artha mandapam was the centre hall leading to the main sanctum. The main sanctum was of course dedicated to Lord Muruga in the form of Sri Thendayuthapani.

Subsequent Consecrations  

The old temple underwent some renovation and restoration works on two occasions when the consecration ceremonies were held in 1936 and 1955. However, the community felt the need to upgrade the temple with modern facilities so as to keep pace with the development of Singapore.

The Nagarathars decided in the late seventies, to rebuild the temple on the same site. The temple was to be in the centre with a wedding hall and staff quarters flanking its sides. The food courtyard known as the karthigai kattu was replaced by a wedding hall with car parking facilities. The piling work started on 4 Jan 1981 and was completed on 19 Jan 1983.