Perhaps it looks similar to Delhi, but you will get scent of India life in Singapore’s Little India. The place is compact, you can sample its sights and sounds in a hour or two. Sunday is the big day in Little India, when the temples are buzzing and hundreds of Indian men and Bangladeshi immigrant workers came out to socialize, milling around the streets arm-in-arm or squatting, by the road to chat.
The Zhujiao Centre on Seranggon Rd near Buffalo Rd is Little India’s market. It was known as the KK market or Kandang Kerbau mean “cattle pens”, as this was once a cattle-holding area, before it was rehoused in modern building. Downstairs is a wet market, the Singaporean term for a product market, this is one of the liveliest local markets in Singapore, selling all types of fruits and vegetables as well as fish and meat. The hawkers centre here has plenty of Indian stalls. Upstairs, stalls sell a variety of clothes and everyday goods, and you can buy brassware and Indian textiles.
Across Seranggon Rd, the Little India Arcade has its fair share of tourist-oriented souvenir shops, but manages to maintain the traditional atmosphere of Little India, with Indian textile, grocery, and flower shops. From here you can wander around the backstreets with the names of imperial India, such as Clive, Hasting and Campbell. This is the heart of Little India, with variety of shops selling spices, Indian music tapes, saris, religious artifacts, and everyday goods for the Indian households. Dunlop St in particular maintains much of its old-fashioned charm.
Apart from the ubiquitous gold shops, there are a couple of interesting jewelers on Seranggon and Buffalo Rd that make jewelry crafted with traditional designs. At the southern end of Race Course Rd is the best collection of non-vegetarian eateries in Singapore, from the tandoori food of North India to Singapore’s famous fish-head curry, which sounds and looks terrible, but taste delicious.
On the corner of Belilios and Seranggon Rd is the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, a Shivaite temple dedicated to kali. Further north-east along Seranggon is the Mustafa Centre, which is a good place to hunt for reasonably priced electrical and electronic items. Also in this area, in the alley-ways behind Decker Rd, are the infamous brothels. Row and blockhouse rooms line the alley with women standing in doorways while a constant stream of men wander past. Outside, hawkers sell condoms and potency pills, and makeshift tables are set up with card games to gamble on.
In complete contrast, the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple is a large temple dedicated to Vishnu. The temple dates from 1855 but the impressive tower is relatively recent addition, built in 1966. Inside the temple, you will find a statue of Vishnu and his consorts, Lakshmi and Andal, as well as his bird-mount Garuda. This temple is the starting point for devotees who make the walk to the Chettiar Hindu Temple during the Thaipusam festival.
Not far from the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple is the Temple of 1000 Lights, it’s a glitzy, slightly tacky Thai-influenced temple, but one of Singapore’s best known, and it welcomes visitors. A more beautiful Temple is the Leong San See Temple over the road. This Buddist and Taoist temple has some fine ceramics carvings inside.
From Little India, you can wander across Jalan Besar. The Indian influence is not so not noticeable here, the fine pastel-colored terrace with intricate stucco and tiles are peranakan in style. Of particular note are the terraces on Petain Rd, and those on corner of Plumer Rd and Jalan Besar.
A number of traditional businesses are on and around Jalan Besar, and area around Kelantan and Pasar Lanes is a place to look for antiques. On Sunday there is flea market selling everything from old shoes and computer chips to motorcycle parts, and if you rummage around you can find old coins, porcelain and brassware.
