Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore.

Sri Mariamman Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore. Mariamman is a rural South Indian mother goddess who is especially worshiped for protection against disease. It is an Agamic temple, built in Dravidian style. Located at 244 South Bridge Road, in the downtown district of Chinatown, the temple serves the majority of Singaporean Hindus, Tamilians in the city-state. Due to its architectural and historical significance, the temple has been declared a National Monument and is a major tourist attraction. The Sri Mariamman Temple is managed by the nHindu Endowments Board. Sri Mariamman Temple was founded in 1827 by Naraina Pillai, eight years after the East India Company established a trading settlement in Singapore. Pillai was a government official from Penang who arrived in Singapore with Sir Stamford Raffles on his second visit to the island in May 1819. By 1827, Pillai had built a simple temple of wood and attap. In the same year, he installed in the temple Sinna Amman, a small representation of the goddess Mariamman. According to the Hindu Endowments Board, the current managers of the temple, the existing deity in the main shrine of the temple is the original one installed by Pillai in 1827. As is the usual practice, the temple is named after its main deity. The temple has also been known to devotees over the years as Sithi Vinayagar Temple and Gothanda Ramaswamy Mariamman or more simply Mariamman…