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A work of devotion: Little India temple gets $4m facelift

Iconic Little India temple gets $4m facelift; now boasts new facilities and brighter spaces

Mr Viswanathan Karunanithi (left), 47, and Mr Karuppaiyan Chidambara-nathan (right), 48, two of the 20 skilled temple artisans from India, painting motifs representing Indian astrology signs on the ceiling above the Garudar sanctum. The men are worki
Artisan Vaithi Ganesh, 40, adding the final touches to an arch embellished with an image of a yali – a mythical creature believed to protect and guard temples and ways leading to them. ST PHOTOS: LIM YAOHUI
Mr Viswanathan Karunanithi (left), 47, and Mr Karuppaiyan Chidambara-nathan (right), 48, two of the 20 skilled temple artisans from India, painting motifs representing Indian astrology signs on the ceiling above the Garudar sanctum. The men are worki
Artisan Karuppaiyan Chidambaranathan, restoring a motif on the ceiling of the temple in January. The original colour scheme has been retained because of the temple’s National Monument status. ST PHOTOS: LIM YAOHUI
Mr Viswanathan Karunanithi (left), 47, and Mr Karuppaiyan Chidambara-nathan (right), 48, two of the 20 skilled temple artisans from India, painting motifs representing Indian astrology signs on the ceiling above the Garudar sanctum. The men are worki
A worker laying interlocking bricks in the plaza outside Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple’s tower entrance in January. ST PHOTOS: LIM YAOHUI
Mr Viswanathan Karunanithi (left), 47, and Mr Karuppaiyan Chidambara-nathan (right), 48, two of the 20 skilled temple artisans from India, painting motifs representing Indian astrology signs on the ceiling above the Garudar sanctum. The men are worki
Delicate sculpting work being done on the Garudar sanctum within the main hall of the temple by a highly skilled – and extremely patient – artisan. ST PHOTOS: LIM YAOHUI
Mr Viswanathan Karunanithi (left), 47, and Mr Karuppaiyan Chidambara-nathan (right), 48, two of the 20 skilled temple artisans from India, painting motifs representing Indian astrology signs on the ceiling above the Garudar sanctum. The men are worki
Mr Viswanathan Karunanithi (left), 47, and Mr Karuppaiyan Chidambaranathan (right), 48, two of the 20 skilled temple artisans from India, painting motifs representing Indian astrology signs on the ceiling above the Garudar sanctum. The men are working on a raised scaffolding through which the topmost section of the Garudar sanctum can be seen. ST PHOTOS: LIM YAOHUI
Mr Viswanathan Karunanithi (left), 47, and Mr Karuppaiyan Chidambara-nathan (right), 48, two of the 20 skilled temple artisans from India, painting motifs representing Indian astrology signs on the ceiling above the Garudar sanctum. The men are worki
Underneath the scaffolding sits sculptor Periyasamy Rajangam, 34, who is completing work on the lower part of the Garudar sanctum. ST PHOTOS: LIM YAOHUI
Mr Viswanathan Karunanithi (left), 47, and Mr Karuppaiyan Chidambara-nathan (right), 48, two of the 20 skilled temple artisans from India, painting motifs representing Indian astrology signs on the ceiling above the Garudar sanctum. The men are worki
Artisans Kanapathy Satthaiyah (left) 42, and Palanichamy Raja, 23, attaching a soolam (trident) on the sculpture of Hindu Goddess Sri Vishnu Durga in Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple on Jan 10. ST PHOTOS: LIM YAOHUI
Mr Viswanathan Karunanithi (left), 47, and Mr Karuppaiyan Chidambara-nathan (right), 48, two of the 20 skilled temple artisans from India, painting motifs representing Indian astrology signs on the ceiling above the Garudar sanctum. The men are worki
After a coat of primer is applied, a first layer of colours is painted on the ceiling in the main hall. The first coat of paint is left to dry before different layers of shades and textures are applied onto the motif. ST PHOTOS: LIM YAOHUI
Mr Viswanathan Karunanithi (left), 47, and Mr Karuppaiyan Chidambara-nathan (right), 48, two of the 20 skilled temple artisans from India, painting motifs representing Indian astrology signs on the ceiling above the Garudar sanctum. The men are worki
The completed ceiling motif features intricate whorls of colour in a visually stunning spiral that draws the eye in. ST PHOTOS: LIM YAOHUI
Mr Viswanathan Karunanithi (left), 47, and Mr Karuppaiyan Chidambara-nathan (right), 48, two of the 20 skilled temple artisans from India, painting motifs representing Indian astrology signs on the ceiling above the Garudar sanctum. The men are worki
Chief priest S. K. Vasudevan Bhattachariar, carrying a set of yenthrams – gold sheets with important Sanskrit scriptures of the deities – during a ceremony in the temple on March 3. The yenthrams are placed inside the pedestals of the deities, whose sculptures have been moved to a temporary sanctum (in the background) where devotees can worship them before they are moved to the designated sanctum during the consecration ceremony on April 22. ST PHOTOS: LIM YAOHUI
Mr Karuppaiyan Chidambaranathan wipes the excess paint off from a motif on the ceiling of the main hall at Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple on Jan 5, 2018. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
An artisan looks at a photo of a painting on his handphone to confirm colours used at Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple on Jan 10, 2018. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Lim Yaohui Photojournalist
Updated
Oct 09, 2018, 02:47 PM
Published
Mar 26, 2018, 05:00 AM
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For more than a year, devotees at the 164-year-old Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple have been sharing sacred space with 20 artisans and a score of other workmen.

Scaffolding towers over their heads as they stream into the main temple hall and bright blue canvas sheets and grey debris netting block off sections undergoing delicate restoration works.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 26, 2018, with the headline A work of devotion: Little India temple gets $4m facelift. Subscribe

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