Hindu Endowments Board

The genesis of the Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) goes back to 1905. The colonial government passed an ordinance to manage Muslim and Hindu places of worship and set up the Mohammedan and Hindu Endowments Board (MHEB) as an administrative body. Several mosques, Hindu temples, Sikh and Parsee properties, as well as burial grounds, were brought under the administration of MHEB. However, the growing complexity of managing such a diverse range of religious institutions led to the decentralisation of this committee over time. When the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore was established in 1968 and the mosques were brought under its purview, a parliamentary statute in the following year established the HEB and the administration of the Hindu endowments, comprising four Hindu temples, which were transferred to it. The four Hindu temples are the Sri Mariamman Temple (located on South Bridge Road), the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple (on Serangoon Road), the Sri Sivan Temple (on Geylang East Avenue 2), and the Sri Vairavimada Kaliamman Temple (on Lorong 8, Toa Payoh). The first two temples were gazetted as National Monuments in 1973 and 1978, respectively. As the guardian of these temples in Singapore, HEB plays a key role in their restoration and preservation. It is also responsible for the conduct of two of the largest Hindu festivals in Singapore - Thaipusam and Theemithi (Fire Walking Festival). Additionally, approximately 40 key festivals and over 300 religious ceremonies are held at the HEB temples each year. 

HEB is a self-funded agency within the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY). The Minister appoints the members of HEB and the Temple Management Committees. These members oversee policies, strategies, and governance, which include temple operations, festivals, and devotee engagement, as well as social programmes organised by HEB. The colonial government also established a Hindu Advisory Board (HAB) in 1918 to advise on its decision-making regarding the conduct of religious festivals and rituals at Hindu temples. Additionally, HAB was consulted on the significance of auspicious days and the declaration of public holidays. Over time, HAB expanded its advisory role to encompass manpower needs at Hindu temples, the allocation of land for temples, the administration of burial and cremation grounds, and the cultivation of consensus among the diverse Hindu community. The roles of HEB and HAB began to overlap, leading to a decision in 1983 to hold joint Board meetings to complement each other and to address the concerns of the Hindu population more efficiently. 

HEB’s long-standing role in the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) has been a significant factor in fostering greater understanding and harmony among religions in multicultural Singapore. For example, HEB organises and participates in joint festival celebrations with other religious communities. These include the annual Chinese New Year reunion lunch at Sri Mariamman Temple, participation in Iftar (breaking of fast) at mosques during Ramadan, Vesak Day celebrations with the Buddhist community and Christmas Mass observance with the Catholic community. More than a religious agency, HEB also plays a supportive role in educational and social domains. Since 1999, it has been running the HEB-Ashram, the only Indian-Hindu Halfway House in Singapore. It assists in the rehabilitation and reintegration of penal and drug offenders into society. The Hindu Endowments Act, which governs HEB, was amended in 2010 to give it greater leverage to run educational, social and welfare programmes. This change allowed HEB to run community outreach programmes in a more extensive way, such as its ‘Gift From The Heart’ programme, which delivers monthly food ration hampers or food vouchers to over 200 disadvantaged families throughout Singapore. HEB also offers education bursaries for needy students in tertiary institutions. Since 2012, the Sivadas-HEB Tertiary Bursary Scheme has disbursed over $5 million via grants and tuition subsidies, helping more than 2000 students. Another education assistance scheme, the Rama Arunachalam and AR Mangayarkarasi Achi Fund, was established to support students with special needs, including those with dyslexia. Other major missions of HEB are the cultivation of moral values in children and the promotion of health and wellness amongst its followers. Such activities have elevated HEB from being merely a temple management agency to an active social organisation that cares for and caters to the secular as well as religious needs of the broader community. 



For more Information 
Balachandran, Lavanya and Koh, Sylvia. Hinduism in Singapore and the Hindu Endowments Board. Singapore : Hindu Endowments Board, 2022. (Call no. 294.5095957 HIN)
Hindu Endowments Board. (n.d.). Accessed 1 August 2025. https://heb.org.sg/ 

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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.