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. |
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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 Maha Sivarathiri, Vasantha Navarathiri, Guru Peryarchi, Navarathiri
and Skantha Shasti.
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