This oldest Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur was started in 1873 by the Pillai family as a private shrine. In the late 1920s the Pillai family open the temple doors to the public and eventually handed the management over to a board of trustees. The initial temple structure was build in attap and gone through structural upgrade throughout the years. The current temple building completed in 1968. The impressive gateway to the temple (the gopuram) was completed in 1972. The new temple was consecrated in 1973.