On South Bridge Road, in the heart of Chinatown, is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore, the Sri Mariamman Temple. The entrance tower stretches into the sky with its colorful decor of Hindu deities. The rest of the temple is surrounded by a high blank wall topped by statues of sacred cows. The current building, which replaced a wooden original, was built in 1843. It has been rebuilt and redecorated several times since then. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Sri Mariamman, with powers to cure epidemic diseases.
