Katong

The region of Katong is a little further away from the central parts of Singapore, and was once located alongside a popular beach by the seashore. When Katong was alongside the sea – from the end of the C19th until the mid-C20th – immigrants from Europe and local wealthy Peranakan Malays built villas and mansions here. The mansions are still here – but the sea isn't. During a program of land reclamation, the seashore has now migrated more than half a kilometre away!

The recently restored facade of the Tamil shrine of Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple today looks rich and fresh.
Tamils first came to Singapore from Sri Lanka one hundred and fifty years ago, and found a pond here with branches of a magnolia campaka (which is Senpaga in Tamil), and a statue of Ganesha (Vinayagar in Tamil) – so they immediately built a shrine.