Singapore: PM Lee leads 40,000 Hindu devotees for temple re-consecration ceremony

This was the first time Prime Minister Lee visited a Hindu consecration ceremony since he assumed office in 2004.

Image: Facebook

New Delhi:  Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong led some 40,000 devotees and four ministers at a 164-year-old Hindu temple's re-consecration ceremony here, following the completion of its SGD 4.5 million restoration work. Lee did something like this for the first time since assuming office in 2004. He tweeted pictures of the ceremony."Joined Hindu community leaders & thousands of devotees at the re-consecration of the newly renovated Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple this morning", he wrote.

Joined Hindu community leaders & thousands of devotees at the re-consecration of the newly renovated Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple this morning. – LHL https://t.co/BpAP6yFtKg pic.twitter.com/uJ5F09InIs

— Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) April 22, 2018

After attending Sunday morning's ceremony, Minister of Trade and Industry S Iswaran said the occasion reflected the diversity in Singapore community. The temple - one of the oldest in Singapore - was re-sanctified in a consecration ceremony called the "Maha Samprokshanam", which would be followed by a period of 45 days of cultural programmes known as the "mandalabishegam". "The prime minister's presence here today, having travelled overnight from overseas (Commonwealth meetings in London), is a remarkable validation of the commitment the government has, that PM Lee also has, to this," Iswaran said. "It is an opportunity to bring together different communities so that we develop this mutual understanding and respect and continue to build on Singapore's multi-racial fabric," The Straits Times quoted the minister as saying. "Happy to join the Hindu Endowments Board, Hindu Advisory Board, temple management committee, faith and community leaders and thousands of devotees for the re-consecration ceremony of Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple this morning", he wrote on Facebook. "This 164-year-old temple has been undergoing renovations for the last 1.5 years to prepare for its re-consecration, which takes place every 12 years. This temple is a landmark for the local Hindu community." he further wrote. "Its re-consecration and redevelopment was only possible with generous donations from devotees, the temple leadership and the Hindu community. Each generation has to look after and enhance what past generations have built in Singapore, and leave Singapore better than they found it," he continued. The ceremony was touted as the most significant event on the Hindu calendar this year, according to a report by The Straits Times today. This was the first time Prime Minister Lee visited a Hindu consecration ceremony since he assumed office in 2004. Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Education, Communications and Information, were present on the occasion. A team of 20 artisans, known as "sthapathis" were flown in from India for restoration work. Built in 1854, the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple was declared a national monument by Singapore's Preservation of Monuments Board in 1978. (with PTI inputs)