SINGAPORE - A total of 50,000 devotees gathered on Sunday morning at the Sri Veeramakaliamman temple in Little India, to witness a highly anticipated occasion after its $7 million makeover.

The compound at 141 Serangoon Road marked its reopening after two years of restoration with a consecration ceremony.

All Hindu temples undergo renovations and repairs every 12 years, and the temple and its deities have to be re-consecrated through a ritual known as maha kumbabhishekam, which involves the pouring of holy water. Hindus believe witnessing the ceremony will bring them peace and prosperity. After the rite, members of the public were invited to enter the temple and receive blessings.

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam graced the event as its guest of honour. Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew and Central CDC mayor Denise Phua also attended as special guests.

This is the temple's third consecration ceremony since it was first built in 1855. The last ceremony held was in 2000. With a congregation that has grown by about 30 per cent over the past decade, the temple is visited by 5,000 devotees every Sunday.

The temple is one of the 75 buildings that was gazetted this month to be conserved as part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority Master Plan 2014.