Detail of the Sri Veeramakaliamman temple

Little India is, as the name promises, the center for the large Indian community in Singapore. While a rather sanitized version of the real thing, Little India retains its distinct identity without degenerating into a mere tourist attraction and is one of the most colorful and attractive places to visit in Singapore.

Get in

Map of Little India

The North-East MRT line's Little India and Farrer Park stations, near Serangoon Road, are convenient entry points into the area. Bugis station on the East-West line is also within walking distance (see Bugis).

Getting taxis in Little India can be difficult, especially on weekends. It's best to either book by phone or head to the major roads on the edges to flag one down.

Get around

Little India's main drag is Serangoon Road, which starts at Rochor Canal Rd and continues northward to Serangoon itself. The action is tightly concentrated a few blocks on either side of the road, and can be easily covered on foot.

See

Little India's primary attraction is the town itself. Here too you can find the gaily painted shophouses that are an icon of Singapore, but now the Chinese signs (almost) disappear to be replaced with Tamil, Hindi, Bengali and other more exotic Indian scripts. Stores hawk saris and gold bangles, spices and incense waft in from the doorways and Bollywood's latest soundtracks blare from every other alleyway.

• Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, 141 Serangoon Road, http://www.sriveeramakaliamman.com/. Little India's busiest and oldest temple, dating back to 1881 — although the present structure was completed in 1986. The temple is particularly busy on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Be sure to take your shoes off before venturing inside. Free.

Do

The most extreme thing to do in Little India is to join the festival of Thaipusam, held yearly during the full moon in the lunar month of Thai (usually Jan/Feb). Devotees attach ornate shrines to their flesh with piercing hooks known as kavadi and walk across town in a day-long procession. The procession starts from Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Serangoon Road.

Around Deepavali, the Hindu festival of light, Serangoon Road is festively decorated (with lights, of course!) and open-air markets are set up to sell Deepavali goodies. Like Thaipusam, the exact date is set by the lunar calendar, but it takes place in October/November and is a public holiday.

A more low-key event happens every Sunday evening when a half-million workers from the subcontinent turn up in Little India to hang out on their day off. Most of the crowd is friendly enough, but inevitably a few get into drunken fights and there's a heavy police presence about to keep a lid on things.

Buy

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The central streets of Little India are packed with stalls selling all sorts of Indian goods. Two giant shopping centres, however, are unique not just in Little India but all of Singapore:

• Mustafa Centre, 145 Syed Alwi Road (off Serangoon Rd near Farrer Park MRT), http://www.mustafa.com.sg/. Singapore's supreme discount department store: floor after floor of absolutely everything at rock-bottom prices, ranging from Rolex watches and washing machines to fresh mangoes, bags of lentils and tailored suits. Open 24 hours; the exchange counters in front are probably the best place in Singapore to exchange any currency you can think of (and many you can't) at competitive rates.

• Sim Lim Square, 1 Rochor Canal Road. Not actually in Little India but right across the street, Sim Lim is Singapore's Akihabara, a giant electronics mecca squeezed into one building, with hundreds upon hundreds of tightly packed specialist stores offering some of the most competitive prices for computers and consumers electronics in Asia. The first floor is for tourists, the upper floors and the back corridors are where the real deals can be found. Watch out for pricing tricks (omitting tax, selling included accessories separately, etc) and the occasional outright substitution fraud; unless you know exactly what you're doing and/or need something unusual, you might want to shop at Mustafa instead. Check out the pricelists at VR-Zone [1], comparing shops in Sim Lim, before you go. This site [2] also has some interesting tips on shopping at Sim Lim Square. Sim Lim Tower, just across the street, also has a few shops but pales in comparison.

The other shopping options in Little India cater more to the Indian market:

• Little India Arcade, Campbell Lane. A narrow pathway through a cluster of restored shophouses, filled to the brim with Indian clothing, accessories, incense and a rather good Indian sweet shop (#01-16).

• Tekka Mall, 2 Serangoon Road. Little India's first and only modern air-conditioned shopping mall, and rather soulless when compared to the bustle outside. The adjoining Foodmore food court is not bad if you want something other than Indian food though.

Eat

The thing to eat in Little India is obviously Indian food. Both southern and northern cuisines are well represented, food is cheap even by Singaporean standards, portions are generous and vegetarians in particular will have a field day. Note that these are authentic Indian places and people around you will be eating the way Indians do, namely by hand — it's best to shed your inhibitions and dig in, although cutlery can be provided on request.

Budget

• Jaggis North Indian Cuisine, 34 Race Course Rd, ☎ +65-296-6141 (fax: +65-296-0780), http://www.jaggis.com/. Caters to meat-eaters too with a selection of tandoori dishes. Set meals available, or mix and match at the counter. $3 and up.

• Kasturi Restaurant, 1 Roberts Lane, ☎ +65-62995510. North Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani cuisine, meals from $2 upwards.

• Komala Vilas, 76-78 Serangoon Road (and other branches around town), ☎ +65-6293-6980, http://web.singnet.com.sg/~komala/. 11:30AM-10:30PM. A Singaporean institution featuring purely vegetarian Indian food. Downstairs is fast food, head up for restaurant-style seating and serving. Sets start at less than $2 and even the largest platter of breads and dips will cost less than $5. Note that gourmands prefer the original outlet over the many franchised fast-food copies, and that not all dishes are available all day.

• Saravana Bhavan, 36 Belilios Lane, ☎ +65-6297-7755, http://www.saravanabhavan.com. The Singapore branch of a restaurant chain from Chennai, serving up vegetarian Indian food. Get a massive set lunch for $4.80 or just order your favorites for a few dollars a piece. Try the rava dosa, a steal at $2.60.

• Sagar Ratna, 103 Syed Alwi Road (just across from Mustafa Cafe). Opened in the second half of 2005. Franchisee of a South Indian restaurant from Delhi, and serves up decent fare for reasonable prices. Set meals ($5-7) are good value, ordering a la carte will cost you more. The rasam (spicy lentil soup) in particular never fails to impress. Pure vegetarian.

Mid-range

• Banana Leaf Apolo, 54-58 Race Course Rd. 10 AM-10 PM daily. A well-known place for all sorts of South Indian food; no prizes for guessing what serves as the plate. Most visitors come here for the fish head curry, even the "small" size is enough for 3-4 and will cost you $18, plus $2.50 a head for rice, pappadams and dips.

• Khansama, 166 Serangoon Road, ☎ +65-62990300. Cheap coffeeshop-style eats downstairs (under $5) and a midrange air-con restaurant upstairs (mains $5-10). Best known for its tandoori dishes and a wide selection of chaat appetizers.

• Muthus Curry, 72-78 Race Course Rd. 10 AM-10 PM daily. Muthu's has a respectable claim to coming up with the idea of fish head curry; now run by the founder's son, this shop continues to draw the crowds. Fish head $16-25 (''serves 3-4'').

Splurge

• Delhi Restaurant, 60 Race Course Rd (2nd branch on Serangoon Rd). Offers a more upmarket experience with vested waiters and a stack of awards posted on the wall. The menu features northern Indian food and has non-vegetarian selections as well; order a couple of Kingfisher beers to get pappadam with an excellent mint dip on the house. $30.

Drink

Race Course Rd has some funky pubs and bars. Desker Road is Singapore's dingiest quarter of ill repute and best avoided, especially on Sundays.

Sleep

Little India is Singapore's backpacker district and has many hostels offering cheap lodging. Note that some of the cheap hotels around Desker Rd cater to the sex trade.

• The Inn Crowd, 73 Dunlop Street, http://www.the-inncrowd.com/. A friendly backpacker hostel with an excellent website. Prices include breakfast and internet access. Dorm $18, double $48.

• Hangout @ Mt.Emily, 10A Upper Wilkie Road (7 min uphill from MRT Little India exit A), ☎ +65-64385588, http://www.hangouthotels.com. No frills, just fun!", proclaims the recently renovated Mt. Emily Hostel. Sparkling clean primary colors and IKEA furniture make the rooms feel more like Oslo than Singapore. Free internet PCs, rooftop bar, laundry facilities, lockers, etc. Dorm $25, doubles $76.

• Shing Hotel, 165 Kitchener Road, ☎ +65-62912565, http://www.dragongrouphotel.com. Basic but adequate accommodation within striking distance of Mustafa — and Desker Rd. $40-70.