Tekka Centre
Encyclopedia
Tekka Centre is a multi-use building complex comprising a wet market
, food centre and shops, located in the northern corner of Bukit Timah Road
and Serangoon Road
, in Little India, Singapore
.
. The market was originally known as Kandang Kerbau (or just KK), Malay for "buffalo
pens", referring to the slaughterhouse
s operating in the area until the 1920s, and the name still lives on in the nearby Kandang Kerbau Women's and Children's Hospital
, Kandang Kerbau Police Station and the Kandang Kerbau Post Office. In Hokkien
, the market was known as Tek Kia Kha, literally meaning "foot of the small bamboo
s", as bamboo plants once grew on the banks of the Rochor Canal
. This was adapted into the popular name Tekka Pasar (笛卡巴刹), where pasar is Malay for "market".
The original market was built in 1915, and was located across the street between Hastings Road and Sungei Road
. When it was torn down in 1982 and relocated at its present site, the new multi-use complex was named Zhujiao Centre (竹脚中心), the pinyin
version of Tek Kia. However, to locals, especially non-Chinese
, the new word Zhujiao was both hard to read and pronounce and bore no resemblance to Tekka. Eventually, the complex was officially renamed Tekka Centre in 2000 as it better reflected the history of the place. The market was closed for a significant renovation in 2008, reopening in 2009.
Little India's first air-conditioned mall, Tekka Mall
(later renamed The Verge), was built on the original site of the market in 2003.
in Little India
, where different ethnic communities congregate. There are Chinese stallholders who speak Tamil
, and vice versa. Shops sell traditional India
n costume
s and inexpensive casual clothes. Some of the more notable shops include those selling Taoist and Buddhist paraphernalia, hardware
shops, and tailor
s who can alter clothes in minutes.
On the ground floor is a hawker centre
with stalls which sell Indian vegetarian meals, served on banana
leaves or on stainless steel
platter
s, besides Chinese vegetarian, North India
n and Malay food.
At the wet market which is on the same level, stalls sell fresh seafood
, especially crab
s from Sri Lanka
, and vegetable
s. There are also many Chinese stalls selling vegetables that are specially flown in from India
.
In terms of accessibility
, the centre is served by the adjacent Little India MRT Station
. There are also an underground car park and two taxi stand
s. Amenities nearby include The Verge and Little India Arcade.
Wet market
A wet market is generally an open food market. Some of the common names include "Cultural Markets", "traditional markets", "Gaai Si", "Gaai See".-Terminology:...
, food centre and shops, located in the northern corner of Bukit Timah Road
Bukit Timah Road
Bukit Timah Road is a major road in Singapore extending from the city centre to Woodlands Road on the way to Johor Bahru in Malaysia. The road has a distance of 25km , which is one of the longest roads in Singapore, and the road takes its name from the hill...
and Serangoon Road
Serangoon Road
Serangoon Road is a road from Little India to Boon Keng of Singapore . There is another road, from Woodsville Interchange to Sengkang called Upper Serangoon Road.Another way is via Jalan Besar and Bendemeer Road....
, in Little India, Singapore
Little India, Singapore
Little India is an ethnic neighbourhood found in Singapore that has Tamil cultural elements. Little India lies to east of the Singapore River—across from Chinatown, located west of the river—and north of Kampong Glam. Both areas are part of the urban planning area of Rochor...
.
Etymology and history
The case of Tekka Centre is often used to illustrate the complexities of Chinese language romanisation in SingaporeChinese language romanisation in Singapore
The romanisation of the Chinese language in Singapore is not dictated by a single policy, nor is its policy implementation consistent, as the local Chinese community is composed of a myriad of dialect groups...
. The market was originally known as Kandang Kerbau (or just KK), Malay for "buffalo
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
pens", referring to the slaughterhouse
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...
s operating in the area until the 1920s, and the name still lives on in the nearby Kandang Kerbau Women's and Children's Hospital
Kandang Kerbau Women's and Children's Hospital
Formerly known as Kandang Kerbau Hospital, KK Women's and Children's Hospital is now the largest hospital specialising in healthcare for women and children in Singapore....
, Kandang Kerbau Police Station and the Kandang Kerbau Post Office. In Hokkien
Min Nan
The Southern Min languages, or Min Nan , are a family of Chinese languages spoken in southern Fujian, eastern Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, and southern Zhejiang provinces of China, and by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora....
, the market was known as Tek Kia Kha, literally meaning "foot of the small bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
s", as bamboo plants once grew on the banks of the Rochor Canal
Rochor Canal
Rochor Canal is a canal in the Central Region of Singapore. The canal is about 1.4 km in length.Rochor Canal is a continuation of an unnamed canal that passes through the Bukit Timah area, which starts beneath the junction of Jalan Jurong Kechil and Upper Bukit Timah Road...
. This was adapted into the popular name Tekka Pasar (笛卡巴刹), where pasar is Malay for "market".
The original market was built in 1915, and was located across the street between Hastings Road and Sungei Road
Sungei Road
Sungei Road is a road in Singapore situated between Serangoon Road and Jalan Besar and runs along the Rochor Canal. The area around Sungei Road was formerly the homes of affluent Europeans and Asians, where many ornately designed buildings were built in its place...
. When it was torn down in 1982 and relocated at its present site, the new multi-use complex was named Zhujiao Centre (竹脚中心), the pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
version of Tek Kia. However, to locals, especially non-Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
, the new word Zhujiao was both hard to read and pronounce and bore no resemblance to Tekka. Eventually, the complex was officially renamed Tekka Centre in 2000 as it better reflected the history of the place. The market was closed for a significant renovation in 2008, reopening in 2009.
Little India's first air-conditioned mall, Tekka Mall
Tekka Mall
The Verge, formerly Tekka Mall, , is the first and largest modern shopping mall at the Little India precinct in Singapore, being opened in 2003. The Verge has two buildings, the main building and Chill @ ...
(later renamed The Verge), was built on the original site of the market in 2003.
Facilities
Today, Tekka Center remains a landmarkLandmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
in Little India
Little India, Singapore
Little India is an ethnic neighbourhood found in Singapore that has Tamil cultural elements. Little India lies to east of the Singapore River—across from Chinatown, located west of the river—and north of Kampong Glam. Both areas are part of the urban planning area of Rochor...
, where different ethnic communities congregate. There are Chinese stallholders who speak Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, and vice versa. Shops sell traditional India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n costume
Costume
The term costume can refer to wardrobe and dress in general, or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people, class, or period. Costume may also refer to the artistic arrangement of accessories in a picture, statue, poem, or play, appropriate to the time, place, or other circumstances...
s and inexpensive casual clothes. Some of the more notable shops include those selling Taoist and Buddhist paraphernalia, hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
shops, and tailor
Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
s who can alter clothes in minutes.
Hawker centre
A hawker centre or cooked food centre is the name given to open-air complexes in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Riau Islands housing many stalls that sell a variety of inexpensive food...
with stalls which sell Indian vegetarian meals, served on banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
leaves or on stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
platter
Platter (dishware)
A platter is a large type of dishware used for serving food. It is a tray on which food is displayed and served to people. It can have oval, round, rectangular, or square shape. It can be made of metal, ceramic, or plastic. Plain and ornate platters suitable for more formal settings or occasions...
s, besides Chinese vegetarian, North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
n and Malay food.
At the wet market which is on the same level, stalls sell fresh seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
, especially crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s from Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, and vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s. There are also many Chinese stalls selling vegetables that are specially flown in from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
In terms of accessibility
Accessibility
Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity...
, the centre is served by the adjacent Little India MRT Station
Little India MRT Station
Little India MRT Station ' is an underground Mass Rapid Transit station on the North East Line in Singapore and as the name implies, serves the ethnic neighbourhood of Little India...
. There are also an underground car park and two taxi stand
Taxi stand
A taxicab stand is a queue area on a street or on private property where taxicabs line up to wait for passengers.-How stands work:...
s. Amenities nearby include The Verge and Little India Arcade.