Consecration of Sri Sivan Temple: A visual spectacle and momentous occasion for devotees

Straits Times

a day ago

SINGAPORE – Once in about 12 years, Hindu temples are re-energised through a complex process of prayers and rituals.
For Sri Sivan Temple, this will happen on June 8 from 8.15 to 9.15am. Tens of thousands of devotees are expected to gather at the open ground in front of the temple in Geylang East Avenue 2 to be blessed with the sacred sight, or 'darshan', of the ritual ablution of the temple structure that is believed to empower its deities.
Called a Maha Kumbhabishegam ('grand consecration' in ancient Sanskrit), it refers to the process of pouring sanctified water from vessels on the roof or 'crown' of the temple.
These vessels, called kumbhams, are filled with holy water and have been energised through chanting over seven consecutive days of sacred Sanskrit mantras.
The temple at its current 3,000 sq m site was first consecrated in 1993 when it was a newly built structure, after moving from a temporary place of worship in Serangoon Road, next to Srinivasa Perumal Temple.
Sri Sivan Temple has a long history in Singapore, dating back to 1868 , when the British government granted a parcel of land in Orchard Road for a Hindu temple .
When it was established, the temple was a simple structure and popularly referred to as the Orchard Road Sivan Temple. It was rebuilt in 1898 using concrete and arched domes were added.
The temple was partly damaged during World War II and rebuilt in 1943.
A worker cleaning the doors to the sanctum sanctorum, where Sri Viswanathar, the main deity's image or 'murti', is enshrined and worshipped.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
In 1960, local authorities asked for the temple to be set back by several metres for the widening of Orchard Road, and the temple had to be pulled down and rebuilt . After its reconstruction in 1964, the temple housed new additions such as a religious hall and staff quarters.
In 1983, the site was acquired by the Government to make way for Dhoby Ghaut MRT station. The deities were temporarily installed at a site next to the Srinivasa Perumal Temple.
The temple is under the administration of the Hindu Endowments Board, a statutory body.
In 2008, Sri Sivan Temple went through a second consecration, which attracted more than 15,000 devotees. The third consecration , which was supposed to happen 12 years later, was disrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic and is being held in 2025 instead.
During the consecration ritual, priests will pour purifying waters, which cascade down from 22 golden 'kalasams' or pinnacles at the peak of the temple structur e.
It will be the high point of the year for devotees who have been waiting for this since October 2024, when much of the temple premises, including the main sanctums, were closed for renovations.
Since 2022, other parts have also been closed for mechanical and electrical works, as well as exterior tileworks.
A makeshift space in a corner hall served as a place of daily worship during the renovation.
The sanctum sanctorum, where Sri Viswanathar, the main deity's image or 'murti', is enshrined and worshipped.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Mr A. Yoganathan, chairman of the Sri Sivan Temple management committee, says several religious experts in India were consulted in deciding this year's consecration date.
The ceiling of Sri Sivan Temple's main prayer hall features concentric lotus petals.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
'In planning the major upgrading, which was last done in 2008, the temple committee was also very mindful of accommodating the significant increase in congregation size, post-Covid,' he says.
The latest refurbishment includes changing the ground level tiling, retiling in and around the three main sanctums, improving prayer spaces and renovating the existing multi-purpose hall.
A close-up of a mandala at the main prayer hall showing 16 forms of Lord Shiva, emphasising Shiva's divine roles.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Before repainting, some of the sculptures had to be retouched using a mixture of cement and brick chips, with great care taken to ensure they did not lose their original look.
Chief priest Meenatchi Sundaram Manisekaran says the consecration ceremony is considered a positive event for the island as a whole.
'The grand consecration is also a prayer for the good of the entire country,' says Mr Manisekaran, 50, who will lead a team of about 90 Hindu priests in intensive prayer as part of the final stretch of the consecration rituals.
'It is a prayer for the revival of divine power in the temple, as well as for the spiritual upliftment of the community in Singapore.'
Here are three noteworthy features of the refreshed Sri Sivan Temple.
Shiva as Nataraja, Lord of the Cosmic Dance
A sculpture of Lord Shiva (centre) as Nataraja, the Lord of Dance, in a pose which reflects the dynamic energy of the universe.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
One of the defining sculptures in Sri Sivan Temple is the imposing 3m-tall gold-plated sculpture of Shiva as Nataraja, Lord of the Cosmic Dance.
Two statues were added to the left and right of the Nataraja sculpture. The walls were also retouched. On the right of Nataraja is Manickavasagar , a revered Tamil saint and poet who is deeply associated with Lord Shiva. On the left is Sri Sivagama Sundari, a form of the goddess Parvati, Shiva's consort.
On the right of the sculpture of Lord Nataraja is Manickavasagar, a Tamil saint and poet who was a major figure in the Saivite tradition of Hinduism.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Through the metaphor of dance, Lord Nataraja represents the cyclical nature of creation, preservation and dissolution, as personified by the Hindu deities Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
On the left of the sculpture of Lord Nataraja is the goddess Sri Sivagama Sundari.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
The iconography – featuring a raised left foot, agni (fire) in the left hand and circle of flames – was perfected during the reign of the South Indian Chola Dynasty from the 9th to 13th centuries.
The 108 Nataraja stucco figures on the facade of Sri Sivan Temple depict classical dance postures from the Natya Shastra, an ancient Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Lord Nataraja's 108 karanas – basic, synchronised movements of hands and feet in dance – are depicted in stucco representations on the exterior walls of the temple.
The classical dance poses serve as both artistic expressions and spiritual emblems of the Hindu idea of cosmic order.
Distinctive sandstone palette
The architecture of the Sri Sivan Temple is a hybrid of North Indian Nagara and South Indian Dravidian styles.
No other Hindu temple in Singapore has combined these two very different approaches to Indian temple architecture, with three pyramidal towers instead of a central rajagopuram or tower, a characteristic of South Indian temple architecture.
The facade of Sri Sivan Temple is a confluence of North and South Indian temple architecture styles.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
The temple 's palette comprises variations of one colour: an orangey sandstone. This gradation is more prominent in the third refurbishment of the temple.
The bold colour scheme is the brainchild of Mr S. Nagarajan, a master Indian temple sculptor, also called a 'sthapati' in Sanskrit.
Mr Nagarajan, 73, was involved in the renovation, paint palette and sculptural works when the temple was relocated to Geylang East in 1993. He came up with the distinctive sandstone leitmotif for the temple's exterior.
Based in Tamil Nadu, India, he returned to Singapore in October 2024 for the current renovations. He is assisted by his son, Mr N. Papparalingam, 38, and a team of 18 Indian specialist sculptors and painters, also from Tamil Nadu .
Father-son sthapati duo S. Nagarajan and N. Papparalingam hail from Devakottai, Tamil Nadu, and were involved in the renovation of Sri Sivan Temple.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
While Mr Nagarajan sketches his architectural ideas on paper, his son prefers to work out ancient designs using digital design tools such as AutoCad with 2D and 3D modelling capabilities.
Mr Nagarajan worked with restraint, using just one basic sandstone colour, but explored gradations of the shade to imbue all the painted surfaces with a more three-dimensional look.
Sthapatis N. Papparalingam (left) and his father S. Nagarajan comparing blueprints of the Nataraja stucco figures with the final carvings at Sri Sivan Temple.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
'Our graduated sandstone colour scheme for this recent renovation has gone from a single shade of saffron in the 1993 initial project to a three-tone treatment, resulting in more defined contouring and an almost 3D effect because of the shading,' says Mr Nagarajan in Tamil.
He studied Shilpa Sastra – the science of Indian sculpture and spatial design – in Mahabalipuram, one of the main centres for sthapati education in India. He can trace his sthapati ancestry back more than six generations.
His son notes that modern tools speed up the process .
'I have designed a customised computer program to improve efficiency and accuracy of spatial data, but Shilpa Shastra is a classic discipline with clearly defined parameters,' says Mr Papparalingam, who speaks both English and Tamil.
'As sthapatis, we adhere strictly to ancient precepts without modifying or trying to contemporise our approach.'
The temple's crowning glory
The temple's dome (foreground) and three towers (background). The scaffolding is for the priests to reach the pinnacles to perform the consecration ceremony.
PHOTO: HINDU ENDOWMENTS BOARD
Sri Sivan Temple is crowned with 22 golden kalasams, or pinnacles. They are typically shaped like an inverted pot with a pointed tip facing the sky.
Ancient South Indian temple architecture tradition suggests that the kalasams represent cosmic energy and are believed to amplify the divine presence within the temple.
During the Maha Kumbhabishegam rituals at the temple's 22 pinnacles – which were retouched and polished during the refurbishment – sanctified water will activate their energy.
Info: Sri Sivan Temple's Maha Kumbhabishegam will be live-streamed on June 8 from 6am. Go to str.sg/gXX7
Designer and lifestyle journalist Chantal Sajan writes on design and architecture.
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