Little India. Tekka Hawker Centre. Gold Shops. Indian Temple. Mosque. Mustafa Centre.
Little India is an ethnic district in Singapore. It is located east of the Singapore River - across from Chinatown, located west of the river - and north of Kampong Glam. Both areas are part of the urban planning area of Rochor. Little India is commonly known as Tekka in the Indian Singaporean community.
Little India is a vibrant cultural enclave with temples and mosques, street art and brightly painted shophouses. Along the main drag, Serangoon Road, unfussy canteens and hip eateries sit next to shops selling gold jewelry, colourful silks and fresh flower garlands. Nearby, Mustafa Centre welcomes shoppers 24/7. The ethnic district is liveliest during Hindu celebrations like the Deepavali festival of lights.
Little India was originally a European area used for cattle trading. Indian migrant workers specialised in working with cattle and found job opportunities there. Its location along the Serangoon River originally made it attractive for raising cattle, thus livestock trade was once prominent in the area. Eventually, the swamps that made cattle farming so lucrative were drained, and the European cattle farmers and traders moved out. This left the neighborhood almost entirely ethnically Indian.
Serangoon Road is the main commercial thoroughfare in Little India. It intersects Rochor Canal Road and Bukit Timah Sungei Road. Along Serangoon Road are the Tekka Centre, the Tekka Mall, the Little India Arcade, Serangoon Plaza, and the Mustafa Centre (on a side road). Farrer Park Fields is located in the district. Several Hindu temples, mosques, and other place of worship include Far Kor Sun Monkey God Temple, Foochow Methodist Church, Kampong Kapor Methodist Church which was completed in 1929, Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, Angullia Mosque, Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman Temple, Jalan Mosque, and the Central Sikh Gurdwara.
Little India also features a few art houses. In 1985, the National Arts Council introduced the Arts Housing Scheme. This scheme sought to identify and refurbish old buildings for arts and cultural purposes. In Little India, a line of shophouses along Kerbau Road was determined to be suitable for the scheme. This is known as the Little India Arts Belt. In 2011, there are seven arts organizations in the Little India Arts Belt. Three were contemporary theatre companies, while the other organizations involved traditional arts such as Malay dance and Indian theatre.
How to get there.
The area is served by the following MRT stations: Little India, Farrer Park on the North East line, and Rochor and Jalan Besar on the Downtown line. Bus services 23, 64, 65, 67, 131, 139, 147, and 857 pass through Little India via Serangoon Road.
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30 сен 2024
