SRI VEERAMAKALIAMMAN TEMPLE, Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple

Hi, my name’s Marcy, and I’m your personal guide. Along with MyWoWo, I’d like to welcome you to one of the Wonders of the World: the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, one of the oldest temples in Singapore.

Built in 1881 by Indian pioneers who came to work and live here in the 19th century, the temple was the first to be built in the Serangoon area, the Indian neighborhood, and it acquired a central role in the cultural and social life of the city’s Hindu community. At that time, there were some 13,000 Indians in Singapore, many of whom lived here in the Serangoon area.

The most colorful, striking temple in Singapore, it is dedicated to the fierce goddess Kali, depicted with a garland of skulls, who tears out the guts of her victims, yet also spends moments of peace and tranquility with her sons Ganesh and Murugan.

The choice of the goddess Kali as the main deity of the temple is significant. Considered a powerful goddess and a destroyer of evil, her presence here was a response to the acutely felt need of migrants to feel safe in a new land....