Standing out, bright and colourful in Chinatown is the Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore’s oldest Hindu Temple. Built in 1827, the temple will be celebrating 200 years of generation after generation coming together to worship in the space.
SMT 200 is a year-long celebration by the temple in 2027, honouring its devotees, volunteers and community leaders who have stepped through the immaculately sculptured rajagopuram or grand entrance tower.
Kicking off with a new logo that has “SMT 200” embedded across a golden emblem of the gopuram, as well as the statement “Amman’s Home, People’s Temple”, which is a tribute to the temple’s goddess Sri Mariamman and the fact that it is a community space. This statement is also the title of the heritage publication that will be done at the end of 2027.
Besides documenting religious milestones and architecture, the publication - which will be in both print and online - will also explore generational journeys of its devotees, as well as how the temple has evolved alongside Singapore’s development.
“There is so much history to share and the best way to do it is through a bilingual publication. But we do not want it to be an academic journal. Rather, it must reflect the lived experiences of people, families and our community,” said Mr Saravanan Annamalai, vice-chairman of Sri Mariamman Temple.
“The publication will also contain oral history, as narrated by long-serving volunteers, community leaders and multi-generational worshippers. It is a legacy for future generations to understand the significance of the temple to Hinduism and nation building,” added Mr Saravanan, 50.
The bilingual publication, in English and Tamil, will also contain QR codes that will lead to archival videos and additional resources to allow for further exploration of the temple’s history.
Several events will be held to commemorate the celebration, including the Sri Mariamman Silver Chariot Procession across Singapore, where the goddess’ chariot will visit several Hindu temples across the island to share the worship.
There will also be both travelling and static exhibitions, which will display stories and artefacts, with tentative locations for the travelling exhibition being the Indian Heritage Centre as well as public and regional libraries, while the static exhibition will be at the Sri Mariamman Temple itself. Singapore Press Holdings and Tamil Murasu are key contributors, opening their photo archives as a resource for the exhibition’s curation.
From now till Sept 30, devotees can directly contribute to the celebrations through the Living Memories Project, where they can send in memories through photos, stories and mementoes like past pamphlets or invitations. Selected contributions will be added to the SMT 200 Archive, which could be used for the publication and exhibitions, and generally preserve the temple’s community history.
Celebrations will start in January 2027 during the Thai Pongal festival.
