By DPA
Singapore : Craftsmen from India have carved the tower of an 82-year-old Hindu temple with deities as part of an elaborate makeover, news reports said Tuesday.
The Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar Temple, in the heart of Singapore’s Chinatown, still retains the main sanctuary and coloured glass, but the walls were knocked down to create more space and better ventilation.
The temple will be re-consecrated Sunday. More than 5,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony.
Temple officials told the Straits Times that the congregation had outgrown the sanctuary.
“Over the last 15 years, there has been a steady increase in the number of devotees,” K. Vellayappan, president of the society which manages the temple, was quoted as saying.
“We want to accommodate everyone comfortable while retaining the essence of the temple,” he said.
It has taken 15 craftsmen from India six months to carve the deities.
The three-tiered gopuram, or tower, has been replaced with a five-tiered one.
The makeover cost 2.4 million Singapore dollars ($1.7 million).