south asia
galleries 7 & 8

Spread across two galleries, the South Asian collection explores the wealth of diversity in the region through themes such as religion, science, and the performing arts. Early civilisations flourished thousands of years ago in the Indus and other parts of the subcontinent. The main South Asian gallery (Gallery 7) begins with a selection of coins, jewellery and terracotta figures from some of these early civilisations. Just beyond, a series of wall-hanging text panels tell the story of the early scientific achievements of these civilisations, some of which, such as ayurvedic medicine, are still in use today.

The bulk of the gallery is devoted to religious artefacts. South Asia was the birthplace of two of the world's major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism. The museum's collection of stone representations of the Hindu gods covers different regional styles, and includes popular deities such as Shiva and Ganesha. Though no longer widely practised in South Asia, Buddhism was widespread in South Asia in the early centuries CE, before spreading to China and Southeast Asia. Early Buddhist artefacts on show include statues and stupa models.

Four teak pillars symbolise a courtyard of the Chettiars, a money-lending clan from Tamil Nadu, who became the early bankers of Singapore. Emerging from this space you will gain a quick insight into village life, with its worship of local gods and colourful processions.

At the rear of the gallery lies a darkened temple sanctum containing precious south Indian bronzes, alongside objects from the world of the performing arts which were often associated with the temple. A long corridor, lined with archival photographs of Indian life in Singapore in the colonial period leads to Gallery 8, dominated by a sandstone gateway from a north Indian building. Through it you will find textiles and metalwork from the Mughal and later periods, as well as brief insights into the Sikh, Indian Muslim and Jain communities, which continue to play a role in Singapore today.