Thiam Hock Keng Temple

Thian Hock Keng Temple; Temple of Heavenly Happiness; also: Tianfu Gong Temple) is the oldest and most important Fukien, or Hoklo (Hokkien) temple in Singapore. The main temple is dedicated to Mazu, the Taoist goddess of the sea and protector of all seamen, while a second temple at the back is a Buddhist one dedicated to Kuan Yin, the bodhisattva of mercy.

After the British established a trading port in Singapore in 1819, early Chinese immigrants started to arrive, crossing the hazardous South China Sea. A “joss house” was built from 1821 to 1822 for them to pray and thank the Goddess for their safe passage. Thian Hock Keng Temple was later built on the site from 1839 to 1842. The renovation cost of $30,000 was covered by donations from devotees, also one of the philanthropist Tan Tock Seng. It served as a temple,school and community centre. Grateful immigrants, some of whom became successful businessmen, contributed to the construction. A year after construction began, a statue of Mazu arrived from China and was installed with great ceremony in the temple's newly completed main prayer hall. No expense was spared to obtain the finest materials and craftsmen  from China. Many materials were recycled  however -- the timer,stone, columns and tiles were formerly ballast on Chinese junks, and mosaic pieces used on the temple roof to create bird feathers, dragon scales and flower petals were broken pieces of pottery and cutlery from ships. In 1907, the temple received its most precious gift -- a  calligraphic panel from the Emperor of China himself, Guanf Xu of the Qing Dynasty. Thian Hock Keng Temple was gazetted as a national monument on 6 July 1973.

Little India

Little India is anehtnic neighbourhood found in Singapore that hasTamil cultural elements and aspects of other cultures. Little India lies to east of the Serangoon Riverr—across from Chinatown, located west of the river—and north of Kampong Glam. Both areas are part of the urban planning area of Rochore. Little India is more commonly known as Tekka in the local Tamil community. Little India is distinct from the Chulia Kampong area, which, under theRaffles Plan of Singapore, was originally a division ofcolonial Singapore where Tamil immgrant would reside under the British policy of ethnic  segregation. However, as Chulia Kampong became more crowded and competition for land escalated, many ethnic. Tamils moved into what is now known as Little India. (The Chulia Kampong district no longer exists as a distinct area.)The Little India area is reported to have developed around a former settlement for Tamil convicts. Its location along the Serangoon River originally made it attractive for raising cattle, and trade in livestock was once prominent in the area. Eventually, other economic activity developed, and by the turn of the 20th century, the area began to look like a Tamil ethnic neighbourhood.Although ethnic Tamils no longer tend to stay solely segregated in one place as previously arranged under the  's Action Party (PAP) policy of racial harmony, for the sake of cultural heritage, many of the ethnically Tamils commercial or cottage industry  usages are concentrated in Little India, although Tamils-dominant commercial zones are also found in HDB estates. This neighbourhood has the patronage of people of all races who wish to eat or buy something specific to Tamils culture, such as curry or Tamil clothing.  One of the more prominent examples of cross-cultural patronage besides those regarding food is that many Chinese parents go to shops in Little India to grind rice to make congee for infants.. In such cases, the shops have machinery primarily meant to grind spices into powder for use in Tamil cuisine. Little India differs from many other neighbourhoods in Singapore in many ways.

Fort Canning

Fort Canning is a small hill slightly more than 60 metres high in the southeast portion of theisland city state of Singapore, within the Central Area that forms Singapore's central business district. Although small in physical size, it has a long history intertwined with that of the city-state due to its location as the highest elevation within walking distance to the city's civic district within the Downtown Core. It is also a popular venue for music shows and concerts.

The hill was recorded as Bukit Larangan prior to the arrival of Stamford Raffles in 1819, which means "Forbidden Hill" in Malay Language. Raffles was told of how local settlers were wary of ascending the hill as they believed it was the site of palaces built by their ancestral kings. The Keramat Iskandar Shah at the foot of the hill was believed to be the resting place of the last Malay king of the island, Iskandar Shah, and was venerated by Muslim. When some of the vegetation was removed, ruins of ancient brick buildings were revealed, validating these folk legends. Little could be known from these ruins, however, or that of the hill's ancient history. Contemporary archaelogical excavation has, however, built up more evidence of its role, and that of Singapore as a whole. Relics were uncovered on the hill suggesting the existence of a regional trading hub prior to their destruction by invading foreign forces since the 14th century, and the possible site of the hill as the centre of this trading post.

Now a park overlooking Orchard and set in the heart of the Civic and Cultural District of Singapore, Fort Canning offers a variety of recreation activities,historical,educational, entertainment and cultural experiences. The park also serves as an important green lung for Singapore's downtown city area. The unique blend of historical relics, lush greenery and expansive lawns has made Fort Canning a hub of cultural and artisic carnival, art activity. It has been a venue of choice for staging a myriad of outdoor events and activities like theatre, carnival, art festivals, starlight cinemas and Ballet Under the Stars performances. WOMAD, Singapore's largest music festival, has been a regular feature of the park's calendar of events since 1998. The Fort Canning Tunnel passes directly under the hill. 

Spice Garden: The garden is a replica of the first experimental botanical gardens in Singapore established by Sir Stamford Raffles. Raffles had noble ambitions for Singapore's agricultural development, and had sent from Bencoolen spices like clove  plants and nutmeg seeds to be planted in the garden.

Sri Mariaman Temple

The Sri Mariamman Temple is Singapore's oldestHindu temple. It is agamic temple, built in the Dravidian  style. Located at No. 244 South Bridge Road, in the downtown Chinatown district, the temple serves mainly South Inidan Tamil Hindu Singapooreans in the city state. Due to its architectural and historical significance, the temple has been gazetted a National Monument and is a major tourist attraction. Sri Mariamman Temple is managed by theHindu Endowments Board, a statutory board under theMinistry of COmmunity Developement, Youth and Sports. 

The Sri Mariamman Temple was founded in 1827 by Nataina Pillai, eight years after the British East India Company established a trading settlement in Singapore.Pillai was a government clerk from Penang who arrived in Singapore with Stamford Raffles on his second visit to the island in May 1819. He went on to set up the island's first construction company. He also entered the textile trade. Pillai rapidly established himself in business and was identified as a leader of the Indian community.

 By 1827,Nariana Pillai had built a simple temple made of wood and attap. In the same year, he installed "Sinna Amman", a small representation of the goddess Mariamman, in the temple. Mariamman is a rural South Indian mother goddess who is especially worshipped for protection against disease. According to the Hindu Endowments Board, the current managers of the temple, the existing deity in the principal shrine of the temple is the original installed by Pillai in 1827. As is common practice, the temple is named after its principal deity. The temple was also known to devotees over the years as the Sithi Vinayagar and Gothanda Ramaswamy Mariamman Temple or, more simply, Mariamman Kovil ('Kovil' being the Tamil word for temple).

Sri Krishnan Temple

Sri Krishnan Temple is a temple adjacent to theKwam Im Thong Hood Cho temple. It is located at Waterloo Street, Singapore.

There was a large Hindu community in the neighbourhood bounded by Bras Basah Road, Victoria Street and Albert Street. In 1870 Hanuman Beem Singh set up a shrine for Lord Krishna under a banyan tree in Waterloo Street. As its congregation of Hindus grew so did the Temple. When Beem Singh was too old to manage the Temple he passed it on to his son Humna Somapah who was a landed proprietor. In 1904 Joognee Ammal took over the management. She built the main shrine. In February 1935 she requested V. Pakirisamy Pillai to manage the Temple. Pillai built the Hall and the walls of the Temple and dedicated them to the memory of his mother Alamayloo Ammal. When Pillai died in May 1984 his son P. Sivaraman took over the management and was responsible for major renovations to the Temple in 1989.V. Pakirisamy Pillai's father Koona Vayloo Pillai was a rich Tamil pioneer who died at the age of 75 in 1931. Pakirisamy Pillai and his brother V.Narayanasamy Pillai inherited their father's estate. Pakirisamy Pillai was born in December 1894 in Cainhill Road where Khee Fatt School one stood. After completing his education at Anglo-Chinese School he became the Chief Court Clerk of the law firm of Allen and Gledhill for about 25 years. His home was 109 Bideford Road. He devoted much of his time to community service particularly in religious activities. He served as Chariman of the four main Hindu Temples' Committees of Management and in 1948 he entered politics. He served as a City Councillor from the late 1940s to early 1950s. He became a Justice of the Peace in 1946. He was a recipient of the Coronation Medal and bestowed with the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1952. For his services to Singapore he was awarded the Singapore Certificate of Honour and in 1970 the Presiden of the Republic of Singapore bestowed Upon him the Bintang Bakti Masharakat (BBM) for his many years of social and community work.V.Pakirisamy Pillai was a generous and religious man. He died in May 1984 at the age of 89.