Mandai

Mandai
Planning Area
Other transcription(s)
•  Malay	Mandai(Rumi) منداي‎(Jawi)
•  Chinese	万礼(Simplified) 萬禮(Traditional) Wànlǐ(Pinyin) Bān-lé(Hokkien POJ)
•  Tamil	மண்டாய் Maṇṭāy(Transliteration)
From top left to right: Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium, River Safari, Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Upper Seletar Reservoir
Location of Mandai in Singapore
Mandai Location of Mandai within Singapore
Coordinates: 1°24′42″N103°47′11″E / 1.41167°N 103.78639°E / 1.41167; 103.78639
Country	Singapore
Region	North Region
CDC	North West CDC
Town council	Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council Nee Soon Town Council
Constituency	Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC Nee Soon GRC
Government
• Mayor	North West CDC Alex Yam
• Members of Parliament	Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC Hany Soh Nee Soon GRC K. Shanmugam
Area [1]
• Total	11.8 km2 (4.6 sq mi)
• Rank	23rd
Population  (2024) [1] [2]
• Total	2,110
• Rank	36th
• Density	180/km2 (460/sq mi)
• Rank	38th
Demonym	Official Mandai resident
Postal district	25

Mandai ( /ˈmɑːndaɪ/ MAHN-dye) is a planning area located in the North Region of Singapore, famously known for being the access point for the Mandai Wildlife Reserve which includes the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Wonders, and Bird Paradise. The Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium, the largest crematorium and columbarium in Singapore, is also located in Mandai planning area. Other features include the Sembawang Hot Springs and Sembawang Golf Course. Mandai is split into three subzones for statistical and planning purposes; Mandai East and Mandai West, plus Mandai Estate.

Etymology and history

Mandai Road was cut in 1855. The name Mandai appears in the Franklin and Jackson Plan of Singapore (1828) as a river indicated as "R. Mandi". There was also a reference of a hill called Bukit Mandai which appears as “Bt. Mandai” in the olden maps. The name is said to come from a Malay tree called "pokok Mandai". Others suggest that “Mandai” might be a corruption of mandi, meaning “bathe” in Malay, as the river could have been used for this purpose. ^[3] The name could have been derived from the district of Mandai in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, as there is a Bugis community in Singapore. ^[4]

References

1. Mandai (Planning Area, Singapore) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location
2. "Statistics Singapore - Geographic Distribution - Latest Data" . Retrieved 10 January 2025.
3. "Mandai Road | Infopedia". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
4. Profile: Mandai, ppid.maroskab.go.id. Accessed 16 April 2025.

• Victor R. Savage; Brenda S. A. Yeoh (2004), Toponymics: A Study of Singapore Street Names, Singapore: Eastern University Press, ISBN   978-981-210-364-2 .