Beyond Firewalking

There’s more to firewalking than the public display of religious devotion. Independent curator Nalina Gopal tells us the stories behind the three-month rituals that precede the firewalking at Singapore’s Sri Mariamman Temple.

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About the Guest

Nalina Gopal is an independent curator and researcher focused on South Asia and its diaspora. She is the co-editor of Sojourners to Settlers: Tamils in Southeast Asia and Singapore and the founder of Antāti, a historical research and museum consultancy.

Resources

Nalina Gopal, “Theemithi: A Look at the Full Cycle of Rituals Behind the Festival of Firewalking,” BiblioAsia 18, no. 3 (2022).

Suchitthra Vasu, “Theemithi,” Singapore Infopedia, published 2015, National Library Board.

Nalina Gopal, “A Sea of Change, An Ocean of Memories,” in Singapore Indian Heritage, ed. Rajesh Rai and A. Mani (Singapore: Indian Heritage Centre, 2017). (From National Library, Singapore, call no. RSING 305.89141105957 SIN

E.V. Singhan, Timiti Festival (Singapore: EVS Enterprises, 1976), 8. (From National Library, Singapore, call no. RSING 294.538 SIN)

Cinkappur Sri Mariyamman Kovil, Mahaparatham, private records, 1896. (From National Archives of Singapore, microfilm no. NA1984)

Credits

This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Gibson Analytics. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Osman Ahmad and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Nalina for coming on the show.

BiblioAsia+ is a podcast about Singapore history by the National Library of Singapore.