5/5 Shankar R. 1 year ago on Google • 297 reviews
It
has
been
recorded
that
the
Sri
Sivan
Temple
was
rebuilt
as
a
solid
structure
in
the
early
1850's
at
the
Orchard
Road
site
under
which
the
Dhoby
Ghaut
MRT
station
is
located.
The
Sivalinga
was
known
to
be
worshiped
at
this
site
well
before
1850.
The
Sivalinga
had
moved
three
times
within
Singapore
once
from
Potong
Pasir
to
a
spot
in
the
lower
end
of
Dhoby
Ghaut,
then
to
a
site
near
where
MacDonald
House
Stands
today,
and
then
on
to
the
Orchard
Road
site
where
it
used
to
be
until
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.
An
order
placing
Sri
Sivan
Temple
under
the
Mohammedan
and
Hindu
Endowments
Board
(set
up
in
1907)
was
gazetted
on
October
18,
1915.
In
1968,
the
Hindu
Endowments
Board
(HEB)
was
formed
to
manage
four
temples
including
the
Sri
Sivan
Temple.
During
the
Second
World
War,
some
of
the
statues
of
secondary
deities
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
ceremony
was
held
in
July
1943.
In
1954,
the
Municipal
Commissioners
wanted
the
temple
to
be
setback
14
feet
from
the
road
to
widen
Orchard
Road.
After
long
drawn
discussions,
a
compromise
was
reached
between
the
Board
and
the
City
Council.
In
consideration
of
the
temple
giving
up
490
sq.
feet
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
crafts
men
from
India
carried
out
the
sculptural
and
ornamental
works.
The
consecration
ceremony
was
held
on
December
9,
1964.
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
at
Serangoon
Road
while
a
more
suitable
and
permanent
site
was
being
identified.
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.
The
Hindu
Endowments
Board
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
architects
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
octagonal
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
May
30
1993.
Major
festivals
celebrated
at
Sri
Sivan
Temple
are
Vinayagar
Sathurthi,
Vaikasi
Visakam
Brahmothsavam,
Thirukarthigai,
Arudra
Dharisanam,
Thiruvembavai
Vizha,
Maha
Sivarathiri,
Vasantha
Navarathiri,
Guru
Peryarchi,
Sani
Peyarchi,
Navarathiri
and
Skantha
Shasti.
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