Title
Chettiar 'ola' (palm leaf receipt) given for donations to a temple
Year/Period
1960s
Region
Singapore
Object Type
Material
Dimension
Object size: H2.8 x W6.7 x D5.2 cm
Accession No.
2006-00625
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. Subbiah Lakshmanan
This is a roll of incised palm leaves issued as a receipt for temple donations. There are three pieces of rolled leaves, one enclosing the other two. On the first day of the new accounting year, the Chettiars would make token donations to Lord Murugan in the Sri Thandayuthapani Temple at Tank Road. Palm leaf receipts smeared with turmeric (an auspicious substance) would be given to the donors. The Chettiars continued using leaves in later years as a symbolic gesture. However, by the late 20th century, the temple had started to issue paper and computer-generated receipts.
