Wednesday 25 May 2016

Railway temples

A shrine marks the spot where the Sri Muneswara Temple used to be at Kg Bahru.
THE Sri Muneswara Temple at Kampong Bahru was at least 60 years old when it was demolished in 2011. Apparently it had moved several places in the vicinity (former KTM land) before it got to where it used to be at Blair Road. And now, it has moved to 871, Upper Bukit Timah Road -- again, near the Railway Corridor. They have a Facebook! Their timeline started in 2012.

Built by Indian railway workers, it was registered with the Malaysian authorities. There was similar temple along the railway line, near Portsdown Road -- photographed and mentioned by Joseph Nair in his article in Going Places, a publication by URA. I am not sure it is still there. Possibly not.

Then there's the grand temple that's quite well known at Commonwealth Drive. It too, has its origins as a small hut and shrine at Queensway, erected in 1932, also by railway workers. Due to Queensway's widening, it became the grand building (pillarless) that it is today, in 1998. It's believed to be Southeast Asia's largest shrine for Sri Muneswara.

No comments: