Little India, Singapore

Little India
Name transcription(s)
 • Chinese 小印度
 • Pinyin Xiǎo Yìndù
 • Tamil லிட்டில் இந்தியா

Shophouses in Little India
Little India

Location of Little India within Singapore

Coordinates: 1°18′28″N 103°51′9″E / 1.30778°N 103.85250°E / 1.30778; 103.85250Coordinates: 1°18′28″N 103°51′9″E / 1.30778°N 103.85250°E / 1.30778; 103.85250
Country  Singapore
Little India during the Deepavali season.
Busy Sunday street.

Little India (Tamil: லிட்டில் இந்தியா) is an ethnic district in Singapore. It is located east of the Singapore River—across from Chinatown, located west of the river—and north of Kampong Glam. Both areas are part of the urban planning area of Rochor. Little India is commonly known as Tekka in the Indian Singaporean community.

History

Little India[1] is distinct from the Chulia Kampong area, which, under the Raffles Plan of Singapore, was originally a division of colonial Singapore where ethnic Indian immigrants would reside under the British policy of ethnic segregation. However, as Chulia Kampong became more crowded and competition for land escalated, many ethnic Indians 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 Indian 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 Its location along the Serangoon River originally made it attractive for raising cattle, and trade in livestock was once prominent in the area.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 an ethnic Indian neighbourhood.

Little India was the site of a two-hour-long riot that occurred on 8 December 2013, after a man was killed in a traffic accident. 27 people were injured, and 40 people were arrested.

Culture

Although ethnic Indians no longer tend to stay solely segregated in one place as previously arranged under the modern People's Action Party (PAP) policy of racial harmony, for the sake of cultural heritage, many of the ethnically Indian commercial or cottage industry usages are concentrated in Little India, although Indian-dominant commercial zones are also found in HDB estates. Contrary to stereotypes, Little India is not solely an Indian neighbourhood. Located in the neighbourhood alongside shops that cater predominantly to the Indians are Chinese clan associations, places of worship of different religions, and a variety of different business ranging from electrical supplies, hardware, second-hand goods alongside traditional spice grinders and grocers. 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. The machinery utilised in this instance was initially flown in from India to grind spices into powder for use in Indian cuisine. Little India differs from many other neighbourhoods in Singapore in many ways. Tekka Market is also multi-cultural, with produce and sundries that cater to the many ethnic groups in Singapore.

Features

Veeramakaliamman Temple, Little India

Serangoon Road is the main commercial thoroughfare in Little India. It intersects Rochor Canal Road and Bukit Timah Sungei Road. Along Serangoon Road is the Tekka Centre, the Tekka Mall, the Little India Arcade, Serangoon Plaza, and the Mustafa Centre (on a side-road). Farrer Park Fields is located in the district. Several Hindu temples, mosques, and other place of worship include Foochow Methodist Church, Kampong Kapor Methodist Church which was completed in 1929, Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, Angullia Mosque, Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman Temple, Jalan Mosque, and the Central Sikh Gurdwara. The Abdul Gafoor Mosque, built in 1859 and named after a Tamil lawyer's clerk, features Arabian- and Renaissance-style architecture. Its prayer hall, decorated with Moorish arch-work, displays a tableau featuring the history of the Islamic religion. The Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, along Serangoon Road, features a high gopuram (tower), and was built in 1855. The Buddhist Sakyamuni Buddha Gaya Temple, also along Serangoon Road, originally established by Thai monk Vuthisasara in 1927. Leong San See Temple is dedicated to Guanyin, the Chinese Boddhisattva of Mercy.

Transport

The area is served by the following MRT stations: Little India and Farrer Park on the North East Line, and future stations Rochor and Jalan Besar on the Downtown Line. Bus services 23, 64, 65, 66, 67, 131, 139, 147, 857 & NR6 pass through Little India via Serangoon Road.

Panoramic view of Little India. Taken from Farrer Park View Housing Estate.
Panoramic view of Little India. Taken from Serangoon Road.

See also

References

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