The Sri Krishnan temple, located on Waterloo Street in Singapore, was built in 1870. In the year 2014 the temple got the status of National monument and was gazetted. The temple began as a shrine by a Hindu immigrant, Hanuman Beem Singh, a wealthy merchant after complete renovation the temple was reconsecrated in a Mahakumbhabhishekam ceremony.
The temple is in the Dravidian architectural style as per the Agama Shastra. The full compound spans over 1800 sq. mt. and a mandapa of 220 square metres. The vimana over Garbh Griha is colourful and with many sculptures. The vimana is the tallest point of the temple, at a height of approximately eight metres (26 ft). It is decorated with statues of deities, as well as with designs in copper and gold plating. The entire temple has a sturdy look with multiple pilasters and columns. It is complemented by an annexe building of 788 square metres (8,480 sq ft) in size, containing a basement of multi-purpose rooms. The second tallest point of the temple is the Gopuram (or gateway tower). It is decorated with statues studded with semi precious stones. On the sides of the Gopuram are statues of Garuda and Anjaneyar. Thousands of statues are inside and outside the temple with beautiful paintings on the ceilings, depicting various stories. The entire place is like an open book narrating the stories from Hindu mythology. This temple structure is the information center for the new Bharatiya generation residing in Singapore away from Bharat.
Kumbhabhishekam is held after major renovation of temple structures. Term means the “sprinkling” (abhishekam) of the temple with sacred waters carried in a “water-pot” (kumbha). The detailed procedure is mentioned in our ancient literature. The ceremony has its own importance as a ritual and also has the potential to bring the community together. Preservation and restoration of India’s temple architecture, emphasising the importance of these sacred spaces beyond their physical existence is given in the Agama Shastra. Indian knowledge based temple restoration techniques from Agama literature, (i.e. Jirnodhar methods) to revive the sanctity of these energy rich spaces is being kept alive even in the temples which are away from Bharat.
