Veeramaa Kali Amman Temple - Singapore

Walk along Serangoon Road through Singapore's Little India and one temple is difficult to miss.

A colourful gopuram rises above the busy street, crowded with stucco figures of Hindu deities. Behind it lies Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, one of Singapore's oldest Hindu temples and an important reminder of the Indian workers who made this part of the city their home.

The temple is dedicated to Kali, worshipped here as Veeramakaliamman.

A Temple Built by Early Indian Settlers

The history of Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple goes back to the nineteenth century.

Many of the early Indian settlers around Serangoon Road worked in lime kilns. The temple was therefore once popularly known as Soonambu Kambam Kovil, meaning the temple at the lime village.

For men and women living far from their homeland, Kali was more than a temple deity. She was worshipped as a protective mother in an unfamiliar country.

The early shrine gradually expanded into a proper temple.

In 1908, a new murti of Veeramakaliamman was brought from India for the principal shrine. A shrine for Periyachi Amman was also established around the same period. Shrines for Ganesha and Subramanya followed later.

The temple underwent a major rebuilding during the 1980s, giving it much of the appearance we see today.

Veeramakaliamman

The presiding deity is represented seated with eight arms.

Her appearance is fierce, as one would expect of Kali, but her role here is essentially protective. This is perhaps why the choice of Kali as the principal deity makes particular sense when we think about the people who originally established the shrine.

Ganesha and Subramanya occupy important positions close to the principal sanctum.

In front are the familiar elements of a South Indian temple: the flagstaff, bali peetha and the simha vahana, the lion associated with the Goddess.

Architecturally, the temple follows the Dravidian tradition familiar across Tamil Nadu. Standing in Singapore, the gopuram, mandapas and arrangement of shrines immediately create a connection with South India.

A Surprisingly Large Collection of Deities

Once inside, I realised that Veeramakaliamman is only the beginning.

The temple contains an unusually rich collection of murtis.

Among the most striking is Mahishasuramardini, represented with multiple arms in the act of overcoming Mahishasura.

Then there is Periyachi Amman.

Her fierce iconography is difficult to overlook. Periyachi is traditionally associated with the protection of women during pregnancy and childbirth. The contrast between her fearsome appearance and protective role makes her one of the more interesting figures in the temple.

The temple also preserves deities strongly associated with Tamil village traditions.

Madurai Veeran, Periya Karuppar and Chinna Karuppar are represented here. Their presence is particularly significant because it shows that the Tamil migrants who came to Singapore did not bring only the major Sanskritic deities with them. They also carried their village and guardian-deity traditions across the sea.

That, to me, is one of the most interesting aspects of this temple.

Shiva, Vishnu and Other Shrines

The temple does not confine itself to the Shakti tradition.

There are representations of Nataraja, Vishwanatha in Linga form, Vishalakshi and Chandikeswara.

A shrine contains Rama with Sita and Lakshmana, with Hanuman facing them.

Durga, Navagrahas and Krishna are also represented, along with Bhairava, Naga and Idumban.

Even the walls surrounding the shrines deserve attention.

Devakoshtas, the niches built into the outer walls of the shrines, contain figures such as Nartana Ganapati, Dakshinamurti, Dandayudhapani, Vishnu Durga and Brahma.

It is easy to walk through quickly and miss many of them.

This is one of those temples where looking carefully at the walls can be as rewarding as visiting the principal shrines.

A Temple That Survived the War

There is another remarkable episode in the temple's history.

During the Japanese occupation of Singapore in the Second World War, people took shelter within the temple during air raids. The temple escaped the bombing, and those sheltering inside remained safe.

For a shrine established by migrants seeking protection in a foreign land, that episode adds another layer to its story.

Tamil Traditions Far from Tamil Nadu

Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple is often introduced simply as one of the tourist attractions of Little India.

I think that misses much of what makes it interesting.

Look beyond the gopuram and this is a record of migration.

There is Kali from the early workers' shrine. Periyachi associated with childbirth. Madurai Veeran and the Karuppars from Tamil village traditions. Ganesha, Murugan, Shiva, Vishnu and Rama. Even the arrangement of the niches and shrines follows architectural ideas carried from South India.

The people moved.

Their deities travelled with them.

More than a century later, those traditions remain very much alive on Serangoon Road.

Happy travelling.