Faiths/Festivals of Indian Immigrants

Source 1: An extract about Indian Muslims in Singapore in the 1920s.

Chulia Street’s former name, Kling Street, was regarded as derogatory, hence it was renamed Chulia Street on 1 January 1922, after the Chulias who migrated to Singapore from the Coromandel Coast of southern India.

Under its new name, Chulia Street was still very much an Indian enclave. It was dominated by the Chettiars, a subgroup of Tamils from the Chettinad region in southern India. The Chulias, who were mainly Muslims, had their own mosque at South Bridge Road called the Masjid Chulia or Jamae Mosque.

Reference:

Rahman, N.A & Cornelius, V. (2017). Chulia Street.  Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board. Retrieved from  https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_222_2005-01-18.html

Source 2: An Indian devotee carrying a kavadi at the Hindu festival of Thaipusam, Singapore, 1934 .

Reference:

National Archives of Singapore (1934). AN INDIAN DEVOTEE AT THE THAIPUSAM FESTIVAL. Accession number 127741 

Source 3: An extract about the Indian fire-walking ceremony.

To the Indian, the fountain-head of his religion is in India. He may not understand the religious ceremonial which he performs so devoutly, but it is sacred to him and nothing is allowed to interfere with it.

Have you heard of the Indian fire-walking ceremony, which takes place every year in one of the Singapore temples? Devotees walk across glowing embers and step into a bath of milk at the other end, and the next morning there is no scar nor wound to bear evidence of the previous day’s ordeal.

Reference:

G.S.H. (1933, September 17). Some Odd Corners & Customs of Malaya.  Sunday Tribune (Singapore), Retrieved from http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/sundaytribune19330917-1.2.35

Source 4: Nagore Durgha Shrine at 140 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore. The South Indian mosque was built between 1828 -1830 and was originally known as the Shahul Hamid Durgha., 1906.

Reference:

National Archives of Singapore (1906). SIDE VIEW OF NAGORE DURGHA TEMPLE. Slide number S18776

Source 5: An extract about the history of Sri Mariamman temple in the 1800s.

By 1827 a temple structure made of wood and attap was built at South Bridge Road. “Sinna Amman” a small deity of Sri Mariamman was installed by Mr Naraina Pillai in 1827 when the temple was first built.

In 1843, a building made of plaster and brick was put up for the first time. The original gopuram (grand tower entrance) was constructed in the late 1800’s but did not contain much ornamental works.

Sri Mariamman temple served as a refuge for new immigrants during colonial times. The temple served as an important focal point for community activities and acted as the Registry of Marriages for Hindus at the time when only the temple’s was authorized to solemnize Hindu marriages.

Reference:

Sri Mariamman Temple (2016).  History. Retrieved from http://smt.org.sg/HEB/Template3/history

Source 6: An extract of the Tamil Methodist Church in the 19th century Singapore.

God laid the foundation for the Tamil Methodist Church in Singapore when in 1884, the South Indian Annual Conference appointed William F Oldham as a Missionary to Singapore. Oldham, accompanied by Rev and Mrs James Thoburn, arrived in Singapore on 7 Feb 1885, to pioneer the Methodist work here. A Tamil speaking Englishman, William Oldham had a strong yearning to bring the Gospel to the Indians in Singapore. In September 1885, with his fluency in Tamil, Oldham began holding regular Sunday services in the prisons for the incarcerated Tamil prisoners. By the end of 1886, regular Sunday and weekday services were being held in Tamil.

Reference:

Tamil Methodist Church. (accessed in 2020). The Early Days.  About Us. https://www.tamilmethodist.sg/index.php/about-us/heritage/the-early-days

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