Little India, Singapore - Places to Bunk in Little India

About 75% of the 30 odd hotels and hostels in Little India are in the 1 to 2-star category. The rest are 3 to 4-stars and the 5-star One Ferrer Hotel & Spa near the Ferrer Park MRT Station. If you expect rates for similar accommodation in this old quarter of Singapore to be cheaper, it's tourist price here! A stay in a shared dormitory room at a hostel costs around SGD45 (USD38), 2-star hotel around SGD120 (USD88) and 3-star around SGD135 (USD108).

Hotel 81  (blue building) at Dickson Road

My windowless room at Hotel 81

Footprints Hostel at Perak Road

Perak Hotel at Perak Road

Santa Grand Hotel at Veerasamy Road

Hostels along Jalan Besar

Little India, Singapore - Deepavali in Little India

I was fortunate to visit Singapore's Little India just before the Deepavali (Diwali) celebration. Deepavali  is the Hindu Festival of Light signifying the triumph of good over evil, celebrated in October or November (following the lunar calendar). During the one month before the Deepavali celebration, Little India gets more vibrant and colourful than before. 

It's literally a colourful time to be here during the one month, with colourful lights illuminating Serangoon Road (the main street) and some of the backstreets. Many shops and open-air markets stay open into the evening as Hindu shoppers head to Little India preparing for the celebration. As Deepavali approaches, there is the fire-walking festival called Thimithi.

Entering Little India during the Deepavali season

Serangoon Road during the Deepavali season

A Deepavali market in Little India by Matt Keiffer

Decorations for Deepavali

Colourful clothes for Deepavali

Indian sweets for Deepavali

Little India, Singapore - Eating Out in Little India

For a good Indian meal, then head to Little India. There are plenty of Indian restaurants here and some of the best Indian meals I have had in Singapore are right here in Little India. Many Hindus are vegetarians and therefore there are several options for a vegetarian restaurant. Non-vegetarian restaurants usually have options for vegetarian-only dishes on their menus. Eating out in Little India range from cheap eats at the food stalls to the mid-priced restaurants. I have yet to see any fine dining Indian restaurants in this part of Singapore.

Gokul Vegetarian Restaurant

Chellas Restaurant

Komala's (Indian fast food) Restaurant

A fast food  meal at Komala's

Cheap eats from the food stalls

Little India, Singapore - Little India Arcade

The Little India Arcade is a bustling shopping centre tucked in the heart of Little India along Serangoon Road. The arcade comprises of small Indian shops closely packed to one another along narrow passageways. It has a bazaar like atmosphere and you would probably think you were in a Mumbai or New Delhi rather than cosmopolitan Singapore.

Shops here sell all things Indian including saris, silverware, bangles and decorations. There are also shops selling varieties of Indian sweets and spicy snacks, and tucked away is a small restaurant serving curry rice dishes on banana leaf. There is an Indian Cultural Corner and admission is free (opens from Monday to Saturday except public holidays).

Little India Arcade by alex.ch

Indian jewellery store

Indian sweet shop

Decorations for the Deepavali Festival

Shoppers and visitors at the arcade

Little India, Singapore - Abdul Gaffoor Mosque

Little India is an old quarter of Singapore, occupied mainly by ethnic Indians of the Hindu faith. However, there was a small community of Indian Muslim merchants who settled the area in the mid-19th century. They built a wooden mosque in 1846 and later replaced it with a brick mosque in the 1920s, known today as Abdul Gaffoor Mosque.

The Abdul Gaffoor Mosque is a designated national monument located at Little India's Dunlop Street. I found the mosque unexpectedly and what caught my attention was its rich architectural features. The exterior comprises of several small minarets, an onion-shaped dome and distinct sun and crescent motifs repeated throughout the mosque.

Main entrance to Abdul Gaffoor Mosque

Another view of Abdul Gaffoor Mosque

The side of the mosque

Little boy at the mosque

Little India, Singapore - More Scenes of Serangoon Road

Singapore's Little India is the heart of the island's Indian community but not everything in this neighborhood is Indian. There are the Chinese-owned businesses here but are minority in an island that is three-quarter ethnic Chinese. You can also see Singaporeans from other communities coming here purchasing Indian spices while others head to the Indian restaurants.

A major landmark on Serangoon Road is the Sri Veeramakaliamman (Hindu) Temple, constructed in 1881 and dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali. The temple was built in the style of temples often seen in southern India. There are several Indian restaurants along Serangoon Road and Komala's seems to be quite popular with two locations in the area.

Chinese-owned shops in Serangoon Road by alex.ch

At a grocery

Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple

Komala's (Indian) Restaurant by Terence Ong

 

Internet shop just off Serangoon Road

Little India, Singapore - Serangooon Road

Little India is a must visit destination in Singapore. If time is limited after emptying your wallet shopping at Orchard Road or spending a night out at Clarke Quay, then take a short trip to Serangoon Road. This is the main road passing through Little India and the epicenter of the neighbourhood. Take the MRT train and get off at Little India or Ferrer Park Stations.

The first thing you will notice along Serangoon Road are the colourfully painted shophouses. Along the street are the shops and roadside vendors selling Indian items such as sweet smelling garlands, aromatic spices, roasted nuts and traditional sweets. You can see Indian women wearing colourful sarees, which adds to a little touch to Little India's charming scene.

Little India's Serangoon Road by Nachoman-au

A fruit shop

An Indian fortune teller

A pedicab driver

Selling Indian garlands

Little India, Singapore - Old Shophouses in Little India

Many of the old buildings in Little India were constructed from the 19th to early 20th centuries. The architecture in this neighborhood is similar to other parts of Singapore's old quarters such as Chinatown and the Arab Quarter. What caught my attention was that the buildings here are more colourful than other old quarters of Singapore. I understand Indians have a fondness for bright colours and the buildings in Little India are no exception.

Shophouses in Seranggon Road

An Indian restaurant in Serangoon Road

Shophouses in Campbell Lane by Sengkang

Colourful wooden windows

A private building

Little India, Singapore - Heart of the Community in Singapore

Singapore's Indian community are a minority accounting for 9% of the island's residents. The heart of the community is Little India, a neighborhood with a strong Indian influence and home to many Indian-owned businesses. The neighborhood is known as 'Tekka' by the Tamil Indian community and you can get here by getting off either at the Farrer Park or Little India MRT Stations.

Little India is an old quarter of Singapore and most of the buildings here are just two-floors with many constructed during the British colonial era. It is an interesting area of Singapore and though a popular tourist destination, it is a living neighborhood with its distinct identity. Serangoon Road is the main road and passes through the centre of the neighborhood.

Serangoon Road in Little India

Shops in Little India

Indian garlands for sale

Back alley in Little India

Little India MRT Station by Sengkang