Prior to 1859 Nagarathars who were in Singapore, worshipped a Vel (spear), a representation of Lord Muruga, under a tree where they offered their prayers. The Vel was kept under a Pipal tree (Arasa maram) at the bank of a tank (pond). Fresh water from the hill where the Central Park is now, emerged as a waterfall and filled the tank. Chettiars took bath there before offering their prayers to the Vel. The location was ideal for the establishment of a temple. The railway line nearby also provided an excellent form of transport to and from Malaya where they had also established their businesses.

Sri Thendayuthapani Temple was built on 04.04.1859. This is reflected on the slab stone at the entrance of the Temple. This implies that the building works should have started one or two years earlier. Chettiars community bought the land, where the present temple stands, from the estate of Mr Oxley, the first Surgeon General of Singapore. The temple in its original form was of a simple structure. At the entrance to the temple, there were  two raised platforms commonly found in Chettiar households in Tamil Nadu, India. It had an alangara mandapam and an artha mandapam. The alangara mandapam was used to house the decorated deities on special occasions while the artha mandapam was the centre hall leading to the main sanctum

The Kaarthigai Kattu, erected in 1859 was demolished 122 years later in 1981 to make way for the Chettiars Wedding Hall and Car Park. Food is served at the ground level of the wedding hall on days when Kaarthigai is observed and on other occasions. The piling work started on 04.01.1981 and was completed on 19.01.1983. The temple was to be in the centre with a wedding hall and staff quarters flanking its sides. A two storey staff quarters was also built at about the same time. An imposing Raja Gopuram (entrance tower) was erected. It is 75 feet high and is one of the tallest gopurams (tower) in Southeast Asia. As one enters the temple through the tower gate, the temple opens into the artha mandapam, the alangara mandapam and an office on the right and a library on the left. Consecration ceremony was held in a grand manner on 24.11.1983.

After 13 years, the temple went through a renovation process and the consecration was held on 27.11.2009. Thousands of devotees were present during the occasion. A live streaming of the consecration was also arranged for the benefit of devotees worldwide. A 3 storey building with staff quarters and additional offices was built. It included a multi-purpose hall in the 3rd floor. 150th  year celebration was conducted in a grand manner, after the consecration ceremony. A book was also released to record the history of the temple.

Sri Thendayuthapani temple had a long history of having a library right from early years. It is the only temple in Singapore to have such a credential. The library has an extensive collection of books over a 120 year period. The refurbished library, opposite to the lift lobby in the Annex building, was opened by Sri R. Jeyachandran, Chairman, Hindu Endowment Board.  The library has books on various historical topics, which attracts readers on a regular basis. 

The temple was consecrated again on 01.06.2023 after going through a renovation process. Wedding Hall and Kitchen were rebuilt with more facilities and conveniences.