Sri Muneeswaran Temple

From its humble beginnings more than 80 years ago as the Muniandy Temple in Queenstown, the Sri Muneeswaran Temple, now located at Commonwealth Drive, is believed to be Southeast Asia’s largest shrine dedicated to the Sri Muneeswaran deity. In the 1930s, Hindu employees of the Malayan Railway in Singapore, who lived around the Queenstown area, sought a place to meet their spiritual needs. They soon placed a spear under a banyan tree, and this spot came to be known as the Muniandy Temple. In 1961, the shrine was developed into a modest temple by first clearing the forest between the hut and the main road, and laying a path to the temple. In the following years, a working committee, led by Dharmalingam, a railway worker, was established. The committee decided unanimously to register itself as a society to build and administer the temple. In 1967, the Muneeswaran Temple Society was officially registered. The cost of the temple's construction was estimated at $7,000. A membership drive was launched, and appeal letters were sent to Hindus residing in the Queenstown area. With the generous support of the Hindu community, the construction was completed in 1969. Statues of various deities were imported from India, and the temple began operations with a small staff. The first consecration of the new temple was held in 1970.

In 1987, the temple, which was operating under a Temporary Occupation License from the Singapore government, had to make way for a road-widening project along Queensway. In 1994, a new site along Commonwealth Drive was purchased for $550,000 from HDB. Construction began in 1995, and the new temple, built at a cost of $2,000,000, was consecrated in 1998, attended by around 6,000 devotees. After relocating to Commonwealth Drive, the temple underwent several renovations from 2004 to 2024 to expand its facilities to accommodate the growing number of devotees. Since 2008, the temple has initiated bursary awards for needy students from Primary, Secondary, and Junior College levels. The temple also operates a student care centre, the Top Marks Student Care Centre, which serves around 50 primary students. During the consecration ceremony on 12 July 2024, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said, "Even if you are not a Hindu, the story behind Sri Muneeswaran Temple at Commonwealth Drive is worth knowing. Like some of our other places of worship, its roots go back to ordinary folk, including the most humble workers, who came to our shores a century or more ago. Regardless of our faiths, we should know and remember the unique social histories of our places of worship. They are part of our collective heritage as Singaporeans."



For more information
“Sri Muneeswaran Temple & Church of the Blessed Sacrament.” Roots.sg. Accessed on 1 August 2025. https://www.roots.gov.sg/places/places-landing/Places/landmarks/my-queenstown-heritage-trail/sri-muneeswaran-temple-church-of-the-blessed-sacrament 

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The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.