A silver chariot procession during the 1969 Thaipusam festival at the Sri ThendayuthapaniTemple, Singapore. Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reprintedwith permission

Religion–State Encounters in Hindu Domains

ARI – SPRINGER ASIA SERIES

Volume 1

Editors-in-ChiefChua Beng Huat, Prasenjit Duara, Robbie B. H. Goh and Lily KongNational University of Singapore

Editorial assistantSaharah Bte Abubakar, National University of Singapore

Religion SectionSection editors: Kenneth Dean, McGill University, and Michael Feener, National

University of SingaporeAssociate editors: Nico Kaptein, Leiden University, and Joanne Waghorne,

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Migration SectionSection editor: Brenda Yeoh, National University of SingaporeAssociate editors: Dick Bedford, University of Waikato, Xiang Biao, Oxford

University, and Rachel Silvey, University of Toronto

Cities SectionSection editor: Tim Bunnell, National University of SingaporeAssociate editors: Abidin Kusno and Michael Leaf, University of British Columbia

The Asia Research Institute (ARI) is a university-level research institute of theNational University of Singapore (NUS). Its mission is to provide a world-classfocus and resource for research on Asia. The three themes of the ARI-SpringerAsia Series – Cities, Religion, and Migration – correspond to three of ARI’s researchclusters and primary research emphases. ARI’s logo depicts rice grains in star-likeformation. Rice has been the main staple food for many of Asia’s peoples since the15th century. It forms the basis of communal bonds, an element of ritual in manyAsian societies, and a common cultural thread across nations and societies.

For further volumes:http://www.springer.com/series/8425

Vineeta Sinha

Religion–State Encountersin Hindu Domains

From the Straits Settlements to Singapore

123

Vineeta SinhaDepartment of SociologyNational University of Singapore11 Arts Link115750 Singaporesocvs@nus.edu.sg

ISBN 978-94-007-0886-0 e-ISBN 978-94-007-0887-7DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-0887-7Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York

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for Akash and Ashish

Acknowledgements

The first draft of this book was written between September 2007 and July 2008,when I spent my sabbatical year in the UK with an affiliation with the Centre ofSouth Asian Studies at the University of Cambridge. I would like to thank Prof.Christopher Bayly and Dr. Kevin Greenbank for facilitating my visit to the Centreand making it possible for me to avail myself of the resources, including especiallyaccess to the various libraries at the University of Cambridge.

The research for this project was made possible by the FRC Tier 1 ResearchGrant (R -111-000-080-112) I received in 2007 from the Faculty of Arts and SocialSciences, National University of Singapore. The interest in the book from theEditors-in-Chief, Chua Beng Huat, Lily Kong and Robbie Goh, of the ARI-SpringerAsia Series has inspired the completion of the project. Kenneth Dean and MichaelFeener as editors of the Religion Section of the Asia Series have facilitated thereview process and seen the book to the production stage. I gratefully acknowledgethe input from the two anonymous reviewers who have seriously engaged with thebook manuscript and offered comprehensive intellectual feedback, which has beenvaluable in reconfiguring the book.

The research for this book was in the main archival but supported criticallyby ethnographic work. The in-depth interviews and informal conversations withthe scores of Hindus in Singapore who spoke candidly with me about the HinduEndowments Board (HEB), the management of Hindu temples and the organiza-tion of Hindu festivals on the island have been instrumental for this book. Thearchival portion of the research would not have been possible without the generosityof Mr. Nallathamby, formerly of the Singapore Hindu Endowments Board (SHEB),in making available to me minutes of SHEB meetings from 1905 to 1979. I have alsobeen fortunate in receiving support and encouragement from Mr. S. Rajendran, cur-rent Chairman of the HEB, and A/P Ganapathy Narayanan, a member of the HEB.Mr. N. Dorai and other staff members of the HEB have also rendered importanthelp. Over the last couple of years several student research assistants have helpedme with this project. I take this opportunity to thank Ms. Chitra d/o Pubalan, Ms.Kamala Malar, Ms. Nagah Devi Ramasamy and Ms. Tan Xiang Ru for detailedand painstaking archival work with colonial newspapers and colonial reports. I alsoextend my gratitude to Ashish Ravinran for doing the tables. Mrs. Lee Li Kheng

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x Acknowledgements

for constructing the two maps, Ravinran Kumaran for reading drafts of chaptersand doing the illustrations of HEB seals and Bryan Hugill for his copyediting workon the book. I gratefully acknowledge the National Archives of Singapore and TheStraits Times for granting copyright for the photographs used in the book.

Year long writing sabbaticals are wonderful, not to mention rare but the felt plea-sure veils the personal challenges and cost borne by families that cannot be togetherduring this time. I have valued enormously my then 11-year-old son Akash’s matu-rity and willingness to be taken across the miles to live away from his father andolder brother for a year. Over this time, my husband, Ravi, maintained a householdwith our son Ashish in Singapore with an attitude and mind-set that made this ‘notso normal arrangement’ a non-issue. I thank Ravi for the value he places on the workthat I do and for keeping me grounded as always. I have learnt much from brain-storming sessions with Ashish, whose critical reading of chapter drafts providedvaluable insight.

My sister Nandita Sinha, brother-in-law William Boucher, and little Tara andDylan deserve a huge thank you for opening their home to us during the year wespent in Richmond and for the warmth, generosity and hospitality they showed us.Yati’s presence in our lives is by now critical and we continue to be amazed byher and appreciate her looking after us all so well. The love, emotional supportand encouragement from my parents and siblings have always nourished and heart-ened me. I am also fortunate to be surrounded by wonderful friends in NationalUniversity of Singapore (NUS), who have sustained me through challenging peri-ods in the completion of the final manuscript—Gana, Gyanesh, Lily, Medha andSuriani—thank you!

SingaporeSeptember 2010

Abbreviations

AMLA Administration of Muslim Law ActAWARE Association of Women for Action and ResearchCPF Central Provident FundCC Consecration ceremonyDK Dravida KazhagamDMK Dravida Munnetra KazhagamDPM Deputy Prime MinisterEIC East India CompanyEEIC English East India CompanyEXCO Executive Committee MemberFMS Federated Malay StatesGRC Group Representation ConstituencyHDB Housing and Development BoardHEA Hindu Endowments ActHRCE Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments DepartmentHRCEB Hindu Religious Charitable Endowments BoardIRCC Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence CirclesIRO Inter-Religious OrganizationLISHA Little India Shopkeepers’ and Heritage AssociationLMS London Missionary SocietyMHEB Mohammedan and Hindu Endowments BoardMHEO Mohammedan and Hindu Endowments OrdinanceMMHEB Malacca Mohammedan and Hindu Endowments BoardMIC Malaysian Indian CongressMUIS Majlis Ugama Islam SingapuraNCCS National Council of Churches of SingaporePHEB Penang Hindu Endowments BoardPMHEB Penang Mohammedan and Hindu Endowments BoardSAB Sikh Advisory BoardSC Select CommitteeSCORE Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative EnterprisesSHAB Singapore Hindu Advisory Board

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xii Abbreviations

SHEB Singapore Hindu Endowments BoardSMHEB Singapore Mohammedan and Hindu Endowments Board (1906–

1952)/Singapore Muslim and Hindu Endowments Board (from 1952–1968)

SS Straits SettlementsTRA Tamil Reform AssociationUFMS Unfederated Malay StatesURA Urban Renewal AuthorityVOC Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie

Contents

1 Making Sense of Religion and State Encounters:Locating Religions in Secular States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.1 Turning to the Hindu Scene in Singapore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151.2 Abstracting Ethnographic Insight from Archives . . . . . . . . . . 19

2 Governance in the Straits Settlements, 1796–1874 . . . . . . . . . . 252.1 Preamble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252.2 Constructing a Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

2.2.1 From Economic Interests to Political Control . . . . . . . 262.2.2 The Naissance of the Straits Settlements . . . . . . . . . . 28

2.3 Principles of Governance in the Straits Settlements . . . . . . . . 312.3.1 Tentative and Reluctant Administration . . . . . . . . . . . 322.3.2 Towards Greater ‘Interference’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

3 The ‘Religious Question’ in the Straits Settlements . . . . . . . . . . 453.1 Preamble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453.2 Religions in British Malaya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463.3 Reconstructing the Religious Landscape of

Nineteenth-Century Straits Settlements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483.3.1 Non-Christian Religions in the Straits Settlements . . . . . 52

3.4 Strategies for Managing Public Expressions of Religiosity . . . . 62

4 The Mohammedan and Hindu EndowmentsOrdinance, 1905: Recourse to Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 834.1 Preamble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 834.2 The Need for ‘Order’: The Mohammedan and Hindu

Endowments Ordinance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 834.2.1 Towards Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

4.3 The Founding of the Mohammedan and HinduEndowments Boards for the Straits Settlements . . . . . . . . . . 1014.3.1 Advisory Boards in the Straits Settlements . . . . . . . . . 120

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5 Mohammedan and Hindu Endowments Board, 1905–1968:The Singapore Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1255.1 Preamble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1255.2 Mohammedan and Hindu Endowments Board, Singapore:

Its Realm of Jurisdiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1265.3 The SMHEB and Native Committees of Management:

‘Work’ Performed and the Division of Labour . . . . . . . . . . . 1385.3.1 The SMHEB’s Interactions with the Larger Community . . 1585.3.2 Hindu Endowments Board, Singapore . . . . . . . . . . . 170

6 Constructing Hinduism in Singapore: Legitimating AgamicTemples and Tai Pucam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1856.1 Preamble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1856.2 Instituting Proper ‘Work’ Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

6.2.1 Institutionalizing an Agamic-Style Temple and Worship . . 2016.2.2 Legitimating Tai Pucam in ‘Singaporean Hinduism’ . . . . 210

7 Religion, Law and Bureaucracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2337.1 The Hindu Endowments Board: 1969 to Date . . . . . . . . . . . 233

7.1.1 Singapore Hindu Domains in the Present . . . . . . . . . . 2447.1.2 Negotiating a Culture of Bureaucracy . . . . . . . . . . . 247

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

List of Tables

Table 6.1 Ticket sales statistics for observance of Tai Pucam inSingapore, 2002–2009 (figures courtesy of the SHEB) . . . . . 210

Table 6.2 Ticket sales statistics for observance of rituals duringthe fire-walking festival in Singapore, 2002–2009(figures courtesy of the SHEB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

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List of Maps

Map 1.1 A map of the Straits Settlements showing Singapore,Penang and Malacca. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Map 1.2 A map of the island of Singapore showing thefour temples administered by the Singapore HinduEndowments Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

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List of Figures

Fig. 2.1 A timeline of comparative legislation in the StraitsSettlements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Fig. 4.1 Sri Mariamman Temple in South Bridge Road, 1900 . . . . . . . 87Fig. 4.2 Mohammedan and Hindu Endowments Boards in the

Straits Settlements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104Fig. 4.3 Organizational structure of the Singapore Mohammedan

and Hindu Endowments Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104Fig. 4.4 Sri Mariamman Temple in South Bridge Road, 1950s–1970s . . 105Fig. 5.1 Official seal of the Mohammedan and Hindu Endowments

Board, Singapore, in 1909 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Fig. 5.2 Official seal of the Mohammedan and Hindu Endowments

Board, Singapore, in 1913 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Fig. 5.3 Official seal of the Hindu Endowments Board, Singapore,

in 1969 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182Fig. 5.4 Official seal of the Hindu Endowments Board, Singapore,

in 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182Fig. 6.1 An Indian devotee at the Thaipusam festival in Singapore

1900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214Fig. 6.2 Man carrying kavadi during Thaipusam, Singapore,

1950s–1970s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215Fig. 6.3 Lord Subramaniam’s image being carried around the city

on a chariot drawn by bullock carts during Thaipusam,Singapore, 1950s–1970s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

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