Backpacking Philippines: Experience Little India in Singapore

Experience Little India in Singapore

Though Tutubi's been to Mumbai (Bombay), India in 2004 (chronicled here, here and here, he found the presence of many Indians who've made Singapore their home, much like in Malaysia (also noticed this in February 2004 visit to Kuala Lumpur), intriguing and exciting. Compared to the Philippines who has a small population of Indians, Singapore has a bustling presence of Indians who add unique color to the cosmopolitan Singapura.

Located at 244 South Bridge Road in Chinatown is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore: Sri Mariamman Temple. Dedicated to the Mariamman, a mother goddess worshipped for protection against diseases, the temple was founded in 1827 by Narayana Pillay, eight years after Stamford Raffles arrived in Singapore.

the exquisite gopuram of the temple

It's here at Sri Mariamman where the annual fire-walking ceremony is held, a week before Diwali (Deepavali), the Festival of Lights (symbolizes the victory of good over evil)

One of the easily recognizeable icons of Hinduism, is the elephant-headed deity Ganesha (Ganesh), also known as Vinayaka (the prominent leader), the god of wisdom, literature and worldly success.

an artwork of Ganesha at a certain jewelry shop. noticed the rat here? the rat is said to be his vehicle

Ganesha is said to be the son of Parvati and Shiva. Tasked to guard his mother and one time failed to recognize Shiva himself; tried to defend his mother's bath, Ganesha was beheaded by Shiva who later was persuaded by Parvati to resurrect him.

He promised Ganesha that he should have the head of the first creature to appear. An elephant, said to be the wisest of animals, appeared and became the involuntary donor in the first successful head transplant :)

on the gastronomic side, numerous Indian stores cater to Indian minority and tourists alike.

Being the cosmopolitan Tutubi, at one instance, ordered Tandoori chicken, Roti Prata and washed down with lassi

Roti Prata, similar to Malaysia's roti canai, is a Singaporean Indian pancake-like food served with curry sauce. (Tutubi first encountered this dish at a restaurant called Penang in Podium, Ortigas Center years ago. Penang is no longer there, if Tutubi recalls correctly)

Tandoori Chicken, cooked in traditional clay ovens with charcoal fire, with yogurt and certain spices

First tasted by Tutubi in Mumbai and became one of his favorites, lassi is a frothy drink made from yogurt, water, salt and spices.

These three are just samplers of the most accessible food from exotic India available in Singapore.

Indian cuisine and culture is deeply embedded in Singapore, add to that contributions of the Chinese, Malay and other races, creating a truly uniquely Singapore experience!

To be concluded...

Hankering for Indian Food in Manila? Drop me a comment, and I'll send you some suggestions from pricey to affordable :)

Labels: Singapore

posted by GingGoy @ 8:21 PM,

17 Comments:

At Jul 20, 2007, 7:53:00 AM, carlotta1924 said...: ok, now you got me even more interested in indian food. saan ba dito masarap kumain ng indian food? =)

naalala ko tuloy maraming indians sa san juan. marami din akong schoolmates na bumbay dati. ngayon di na masyado nakakakita..
At Jul 20, 2007, 8:09:00 AM, carlotta1924 said...: i mean di ko na sila masyadong nakikita. ^^
At Jul 20, 2007, 8:34:00 AM, kegler747 said...: I love the Little India district in Singapore. We always book a hotel in Little India whenever we are in Singapore because of the cheap hotel rates & good location.

Have u been to Mustafa (the mall that is open 24 hrs)? I love to shop there at 3am :)
At Jul 20, 2007, 4:50:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I love Indian food as well! There's loads here in Malaysia.

;)

Ah, salamat po, for sharing about the Indian community in Singapore.
At Jul 20, 2007, 6:54:00 PM, Nick Ballesteros said...: is Iranian food different from Indian? Kasi we have a boss from Iran, and there was a time when we would buy beef and pita bread and tandoori.

Uy Tutubi, baka pwede mo akong matulungan sa tanong na ito na matagal nang bumabagabag sa akin. Sa MTV when they announce schedules, they call Japan Astro Japan. Tapos yung WIB, Indonesia ba yun? Why is it WIB?
At Jul 21, 2007, 3:32:00 PM, Mari said...: I've tried some Indian food here and their good. I've had tika chicken with naan bread and right now the thought is making me hungry. LOL

Thanks for sharing your travel experience with us.
At Jul 21, 2007, 9:36:00 PM, Anonymous said...: it looks delicious to me. But i haven't tried any indian food.
At Jul 22, 2007, 4:22:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I'm not really a curry fan but I think India is a very interesting country to visit.Bat ganun mas popular pagkain ng indian kaysa sa pagkaing pinoy?

Very informative post thanks for sharing tutubi!
At Jul 23, 2007, 7:09:00 AM, Anonymous said...: tito,

the photographs are stunning!
the hindu influence in our culture is worth exploring. in our own language, we have words that are of hindu in origin i.e. guro or guru.

dp
At Jul 23, 2007, 10:12:00 AM, Anonymous said...: carlotta,

there's bollywood (pricey ) in makati, lots of indian restaurants (and a sikh temple) on UN avenue (where a small indian community is) in Manila, an indian store near Sacred Heart in Makati, and also a nice canteen on Estrella also in Makati (near pasong tamo)

kegler747,

wasn't able to explore Little India well due to limited time. I'll look for authentic Ba Kuh teh also next time

kyels, yes many indians there too. Was in KL in 2004 :)

watson, many similarities with persian and indian in way of cooking and use of yogurt in tandoori chicken and kebab/kabab

WIB, in Indonesia is something like West Indonesian Standard Time. It's Bahasa language (Waktu Indonesia Barat). Note that Indonesia, being a large country, is divided into 3 time zones. Now, I hope that clears your mind :)

mari, naan and chapati et al. yummy.

lazarus, sure is delicious, most pinoys however don't like curry

cheh, it has something to do with FIlipinos not marketing ourselves and our food well. i've an upcming rant of the state of philippine tourism :(

datupanot, yes many words even maybe the origin of Filipino language :)
At Jul 23, 2007, 11:02:00 AM, Resty Odon said...: t2b dont' forget swagat, rada st, makati
At Aug 8, 2007, 4:49:00 PM, Anonymous said...: hi tutubi!
my first time in your blogsite and found it very interesting.. =)

would like to share, Indians are everywhere.. here in Qatar, i think at least 40% of the population is of Indian origin, about 25% are filipinos and the rest, others.. =)
i'm sure to visit ur blogsite often.
At Aug 8, 2007, 4:51:00 PM, Anonymous said...: oops, i forgot to leave my name for u..
the last comment is from

greece75 :)
At Aug 13, 2007, 9:57:00 AM, Anonymous said...: oist, greece75, kaya pala di ka na ma-reach nasa qatar ka na. ganda ba dyan?

kmusta na buhay-buhay?
At Mar 23, 2011, 10:24:00 AM, mattscradle said...: I agree madami na talaga ang indian sa Singapore, there is a place there which was named "Little India". I've been to Singapore but I was not able to visit "Little India"
At Mar 24, 2011, 7:08:00 PM, GingGoy said...: mattscradle, i'm aware of little india but was not able to visit it due to lack of time. next time i will
At Aug 26, 2011, 3:47:00 AM, Anonymous said...: ok talaga dyan masarap din yung prata nila sa aljunied if you happen to go back to singapore. :)

Experience Little India in Singapore

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