Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple (தமிழ். ஶ்ரீ செண்பக விநாயகர் ஆலயம்) is a temple for the Hindu god Ganesha who is the presiding deity. It is located in Ceylon Road in Singapore.
In the 1850s, a statue of Lord Vinayagar was discovered by the side of a pond. A Chempaka tree, Senpaga in Tamil, stood on the bank of the pond. As the Vinayagar statue was found besides the Chempaka tree, the temple came to be known as "Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple".
A Ceylon Tamil, Mr. Ethirnayagam Pillai pioneered the building of the first structure as a modest shelter with an attap roof with the help of the nearby Indian workers. This humble abode under the Chempaka tree became the temple of Sri Senpaga Vinayagar.
In 1909, the Ceylon Tamils who had grown in number to about 300 families, formed the Singapore Ceylon Tamils’ Association (SCTA). In 1913, a Management Committee of four persons was formed to renovate the premises for the ever growing number of devotees. In 1923, the SCTA assisted the Temple by purchasing the land on which the Temple stands today. A bigger temple subsequently emerged with a priest (a pandaram) to initiate prayers (poojas) and other religious ceremonies.
The present committee members can be viewed in the following link Temple Committee Members
In 1923, the Singapore Ceylon Tamil Association (SCTA) became the official keeper and manager of this autonomous temple. From that year onwards, the Temple Committee was elected from among the SCTA members. In the following year, the committee decided to upgrade the Temple. In 1926, under the chairmanship of Mr. S Muthukumaru, the plans were finalized and a sculptor was commissioned. In 1929, the construction of the concrete building was completed.
In 1930, the first Maha Kumbhabishegam was held with the help of generous donations from the chairman. Many well-placed community leaders and devotees permitted the addition of several new shrines within the precincts of the temple. They included shrines for Lord Shiva, Goddess Ambal, and Lords Subramaniam, Vairavar and Nageswarar. On 3 February 1930, a major Consecration (Maha Kumbhabishegam) of the temple was held for the first time.
In 1949, during the Second World War, when a bomb damaged the temple, the restoration began under the chairmanship of Dr. P. Thillainathan and six years later on 7 July 1955, devotees witnessed another Consecration Ceremony.
The temple has many facilities during the initial construction. The periodic upgrading of the temple resulted in the addition of the following facilities.
List of Hindu temples in Singapore
