SINGAPORE — More than 20,000 devotees gathered to witness the consecration of the Sri Sivan Temple on June 8.
The Geylang East temple, one of the oldest Hindu temples in Singapore, has a history that dates back to the 1800s.
The event was attended by Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the event, the ceremony’s guest of honour said: “Today’s consecration ceremony is very significant. This temple itself has a very special place in the heart of the Hindu community in Singapore.”
Shanmugam unveiled a plaque commemorating the consecration ceremony.
Devotees began streaming into purpose-built tents outside the temple from 7am, waiting eagerly for the main event — a Maha Kumbhabishegam (“grand consecration” in Sanskrit).
It refers to the process of pouring sanctified water from vessels on the roof of the temple.
From around 7.30am, chants and traditional music filled the air as a procession of priests holding pots of sacred water, known as kumbhams, headed to the roof of the temple.
Thousands of devotees followed the elaborate proceedings via large screens showing a multi-camera live stream of the priests pouring purified water, which cascaded from 22 golden “kalasams” or pinnacles at the peak of the temple structure.
Madam Navamany Gopalkrishnan, 68, was among the faithful who managed to get seats for the grand occasion two weeks ago.
“If I am in the country, I never miss a temple’s consecration… and this is the biggest one I have been to,” said the retired caterer.
However, the over-eager crowd at times threatened to break through barricades that had been set up to control people entering the temple after the main ceremony ended.
At around 11.30am, at one of the tents, part of the crowd bulged out of barricades as organisers and volunteers implored in Tamil for people to stop pushing.
The crowd, which had been waiting to enter the sanctum to pray, dissipated after the police were called to the site at Geylang East Avenue 2.
Two young children were pulled out from the crowd and given seats and water by volunteers, while a medic was seen attending to a man.
Among those stuck in the queue was Madam Kumari Muthu, 63, a nurse who had been at the site from 5.30am.
“The pushing was terrible… I have never experienced anything like this before,” she said.
“I was so afraid they were going to push all the old people; next time, there should be separate queues for men, and women, the elderly and children.”
The crowd let up once the police arrived at around noon, and dispersed within 45 minutes.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) said it was alerted to an incident at the consecration ceremony “which arose from a sudden surge in a particular section of the crowd waiting to enter the temple for prayers”.
HEB said assistance was rendered to a few who required it, but no injuries were reported.
More volunteers were deployed, and it “subsequently sought the assistance of the police to quickly bring the situation under control”.
The statement added: “HEB takes this matter seriously and is reviewing the incident thoroughly. While this was an isolated occurrence amid an otherwise well-conducted ceremony attended by about 20,000 devotees, HEB remains committed to enhancing its crowd management protocols.
“HEB will draw on the lessons from this experience to strengthen our preparations for future large-scale events, ensuring the safety and well-being of all devotees.”
This was the third such consecration for the temple, which started on a parcel of land in Orchard Road in 1868, then relocated to temporary premises in 1983, before moving to its current location in Geylang East in 1993.
Its second consecration ceremony in 2008 drew 15,000 devotees. The third consecration, which was supposed to happen 12 years later, was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In line with the 2025 ceremony, the temple underwent a refurbishment that saw all its sculptural features restored and deity sanctums refurbished.
Other upgrades included expanding prayer spaces to cater to the growing congregation and renovating the existing multi-purpose hall, among other areas.
Following the consecration, the temple will hold 48 days of prayers, rituals and cultural programmes from June 9 to July 26.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
