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Central Sikh Temple |
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The Central Sikh Temple is Singapore's first gurdwara for the Sikhs. Since the establishment of the Central Sikh Temple in 1912, it has been shifted to various places and it now stands on the Serangoon Road, at the cross-roads of Boon Keng Road and Towner Road in the Kallang Planning Area. The Central Sikh Gurdwara also called the Wada Gurdrawa is the primary place of worship for all the 15000 Sikhs residing in Singapore.
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History of the Central Sikh Temple
In 1881 Sikhs started arriving in Singapore and formed a Sikh contingent of the Straits Settlemnent's police force. The first Sikh Gurudwara was built in the police-barracks but it was unable to accommodate the burgeoning Sikh Community. In 1912 with the help of Wassiamull, the Sindi merchant, a bungalow was bought at the Queen Street area to house the new temple. This gurdwara later came to be known as the Central Sikh temple.The term Wada Gurdwara in English stands for a big temple. In 1921 the Central Sikh Temple was renovated and on the first floor the congregation-hall and other facilities were set-up.
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The Gurdwara provided education and other welfare services besides acting as a place of worship. This Gurdwara at the Queen Street was officially announced as a historical place. In December 1979, the temple temporarily was shifted to the Tiong Bahru Estate on the Seng Poh Road. Another site for the temple was found near the Towner Road and in 1984 the construction of the Gurudwara stared and it was finally complete in 1986. In November of 1987, the temple was opened to the public and the date coincided with the 518th anniversary of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak.
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Facilities and architectural design of the Central Sikh Temple
This temple is the key place of worship for the Sikh community in Singapore. The seven-storied slab tower at the temple hosts the community facilities. The religious facilities of the temple include a prayer-hall, a kitchen and a dining hall. The prayer hall placed under the 13 m tall dome is fully carpeted and air-conditioned. The second floor can hold up to 1500 people and can seat around 400-500 people. The kitchen and the dining hall are housed on the first floor and there is a sub-basement car-park with 50 lots. The tower has rooms for the tourists, a small dormitory, lodgings for up to four priests, a library, a classroom for conducting religious studies and a museum containing books on Sikhism.
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