This was one of the earliest gurdwaras (Sikh temple) to be built in Singapore - the first being erected within the police compound at Pearl's Hill, which had served the spiritual needs of the Sikh police contingent. With the arrival of the immigrants in other professions, the Sikh Temple at the police barracks became inadequate for the community's needs. In 1912, a group of Sikhs, led by a Sindhi merchant called Wassiamull, acquired a bungalow at 175 Queen Street and turned this into a gurdwara. This not only catered to the spiritual needs of Sikhs, but also became the focus of social activity for the Sikh community. Since it was the community's earliest attempt at self-organisation, its membership cut across traditional regional and caste distinctions. It soon earned the title of Wadda Gurdwara (the Big Temple). The gurdwara was constructed in 1921. In 1977, the government acquired the land on which the temple stood, and the temple was temporarily housed in the former Bukit Ho Swee Community Centre on Seng Poh Road. In November 1986, the new Central Sikh Temple building on Towner Road was officially opened.