The Shree Lakshminarayan Temple is Singapore’s first dedicated place of worship for North Indian Hindus. Its name derives from a combination of the names of its main deities: “Lakshmi” and “Narayan” (Vishnu). Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and the consort of Vishnu, while the latter is the deity responsible for the preservation and protection of the universe.
The foundation stone for the Shree Lakshminarayan Temple was laid in 1960. It was not without great difficulties that the temple was completed around the mid-1960s with the support of and donation from almost 10,000 North Indian Hindus from all classes. Prior to this, all festivals celebrated by the aforementioned community were organised by the Singapore North Indian Hindu Association and held at different venues.
The history of this community goes back to the time when Indian herdsmen from the northern and north-eastern states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar arrived and settled along the Rochor River at the beginning of the 20th century due to the extensive cattle trade in the area. The herdsmen worshipped Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, who was a cowherd. The women of these communities visited the temple every Tuesday afternoon to perform puja (worship) and offer fruits and flowers to the deities.
The bright red pointed domes atop the building mark it out as a temple. It is a conserved building with distinctive red and white patterning on its façade. Besides its namesake deities, the temple also houses other Hindu deities such as Shiva, Kali, Ganesha, and Hanuman.
