 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1 May 1968 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Singapore |
| Headquarters | Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, 397 Serangoon Road, Singapore 218123 |
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent agency | Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth |
| Website | heb |
| Agency ID | T08GB0016C |
The Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) in Singapore.
The Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) manages the Sri Mariamman Temple, Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, Sri Sivan Temple and Sri Vairavimada Kaliamman Temples, and also administers a half-way house, where substance abusers are rehabilitated.
HEB’s involvement in community projects spans from free medical counseling services to bringing Deepavali joy to Little India, Singapore through a street light up and trade fair held annually during the festive season. Underprivileged Singaporeans in community homes and charities are not forgotten and benefit through Deepavali Cheer, HEB’s annual festive care and share programme.
HEB is responsible for organizing major Hindu festivals like Thaipusam and Firewalking. It also helps other Hindu temples in Singapore on staff matters, religious issues and getting land for relocation of temples. HEB actively supports and is involved in inter religious activities and community service projects organized by the various religious groups in Singapore.
The Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) was formed in 1968 by an Act passed in parliament which transferred the management of 4 major Hindu temples from the Mohammedan and Hindu Endowments Board (MHEB). The MHEB was formed in 1907 by the British Empire's government of Colony of Singapore in early Singapore to overcome shortcomings in the management of Hindu and Muslim religious entities.
In 1985, the Hindu Advisory Board (HAB) was established to advise the Government and HEB on matters of Hindu religion and customs. Both the Hindu Endowments Board and the Hindu Advisory Board are headed by Chairpersons appointed by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. There are presently 16 members in HEB and 12 members in HAB.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is an independent government trust in India which manages various temples, including the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh. The trust oversees the operations and finances of the richest and the most visited religious center in the world. It is also involved in various social, religious, literary and educational activities. TTD is headquartered at Tirupati and employs about 16,000 people. Srivani trust was set up by TTD in 2019 to promote Sanātana Dharma by constructing temples in SC-ST-BC habitations, renovating ancient temples, and providing funds under Dhup-Deepa-Naivedyam Scheme to those temples facing financial difficulty. By January 2023, TTD has taken up construction of 2,068 temples in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Pondicherry and Karnataka. TTD's main source of income is Srivani darshan tickets which were earning it Rs 1 crore per day in January 2024.
Hinduism in Southeast Asia had a profound impact on the region's cultural development and its history. As the Indic scripts were introduced from the Indian subcontinent, people of Southeast Asia entered the historical period by producing their earliest inscriptions around the 1st to 5th century CE. Today, Hindus in Southeast Asia are mainly Overseas Indians and Balinese. There are also Javanese and Balamon Cham minority in Cambodia and south central Vietnam who also practice Hinduism.
The Sri Mariamman Temple is Singapore's oldest Hindu temple. It is an agamic temple, built in the Dravidian style. Located at 244 South Bridge Road, in the downtown Chinatown district, the temple serves the majority Hindu Singaporeans, Tamilians, in the city-state. Due to its architectural and historical significance, the temple has been gazetted a National Monument and is a major tourist attraction. Sri Mariamman Temple is managed by the Hindu Endowments Board, a statutory board under the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.
Indian Singaporeans are Singaporeans of Indian or of general South Asian ancestry. They constitute approximately 9.0% of the country's residents, making them the third largest ancestry and ethnic group in Singapore.
The Government of Singapore consists of several departments, known as ministries and statutory boards in Singapore. Ministries are led by a member of the Cabinet and deal with state matters that require direct political oversight. The member of the Cabinet heading the ministry is known as the minister, who is supported by a junior minister known as minister of state in Singapore. The administrative management of the ministry is led by a senior civil servant known as permanent secretary.
Hindu religion and culture in Singapore can be traced to the 7th century AD, when Temasek was a trading post of Hindu-Buddhist Srivijaya empire. A millennium later, a wave of immigrants from southern India were brought to Singapore, mostly as coolies and indentured labourers by the British East India Company and colonial British Empire. As with Malay peninsula, the British administration sought to stabilise a reliable labour force in its regional plantation and trading activities; it encouraged Hindus to bring family through the kangani system of migration, settle, build temples and segregated it into a community that later became Little India.
The Sri Mahamariamman Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Founded in 1873, it is situated at the edge of Chinatown in Jalan Bandar. In 1968, a new structure was built, featuring the ornate 'Raja Gopuram' tower in the style of South Indian temples.
The Arulmigu Sri Mahamariamman Temple is a Hindu temple within George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. The oldest Hindu temple in the state, it was built in 1833, and features sculptures of gods and goddesses over its main entrance and facade.
Sri Bhaktavatsala Perumal temple is a Hindu temple, located at Thirunindravur, a western suburb of Chennai, India. It is dedicated to the Hindu deity Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Bhaktavatsala Perumal and his consort Lakshmi as Ennai Petra Thayar.
Azhagiya Manavalan Perumal Temple in Uraiyur, a suburb Tiruchirappalli in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Azhagiya Manavalan and his consort Lakshmi as Kamalavalli.
The Sarangapani Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, located in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the Divya Desams, the 108 temples of Vishnu revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham by the 12 poet saints, or Alvars. This temple is along Kaveri and is one of the Pancharanga Kshetrams.
The Sri Kandaswamy Kovil is a Hindu temple located along Jalan Scott, Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The temple is over a century old.
Sri Sivan Temple is a Hindu temple in Singapore for the god Shiva. The temple was originally located in Potong Pasir from where it was moved three more times before finally coming to the present location, adjacent to Foo Hai Ch'an Buddhist Monastery, in front of Paya Lebar MRT station exit C at Geylang East Avenue 2.
Sri Sithi Vinayagar Temple is a Hindu temple located along Jalan Selangor in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. It is also generally referred to as the PJ Pillaiyar Temple. The resident deity is Ganesha in the form of Sri Sithi Vinayagar. The temple is said to be the largest temple in Malaysia dedicated to Lord Ganesha.
Sri Poyatha Moorthi Temple is the oldest existing/intact Hindu temple in Malaysia and one of the oldest functioning Hindu temples in Maritime Southeast Asia. Located in the state of Malacca, the temple is one of the few existing Chitty temples in Malaysia.
Tirupavalavannam or Pavalavanam temple located in Kanchipuram in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Pavalavannar Perumal and his consort Lakshmi as Pavalavalli.
The Hindu Mahajana Sangam is an association of Indian workers. It is one of the Indian non-profitable organization at Penang, Malaysia which has been officially established in 1935 by waterfronts workers. Before 1935, it known as Kootakkadai .
Murugasu Bala Subramanion was a Singaporean civil servant who was the country's first Asian postmaster-general. He was also an Indian community leader who was a member of community groups including Singapore Indian Association, Singapore Indian Education Trust and Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society. He was a recipient of Singapore's Pingat Pentadbiran Awam gold medal, for services in public administration in 1965.
Vayloo Pakirisamy Pillai was a member of the Singapore Advisory Council and the Municipal Commission of Singapore and a leader of the Indian community of Singapore. He served as the president of the Singapore Indian Association and the Inter-Religious Organisation.
