Mandai

Mandai (/ˈmɑːndaɪ/ MAHN-dye) is a planning area located in the North Region of Singapore, famously known for being the access point to the Mandai Wildlife Reserve which includes the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Wonders, Bird Paradise and Rainforest Wild. The Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium, the largest crematorium and columbarium in Singapore, is also located in Mandai planning area. Other features include the Sembawang Hot Springs and Sembawang Golf Course. Mandai is split into three subzones for statistical and planning purposes; Mandai East and Mandai West, plus Mandai Estate.

Mandai Road was cut in 1855. The name Mandai appears in the Franklin and Jackson Plan of Singapore (1828) as a river indicated as "R. Mandi". There was also a reference of a hill called Bukit Mandai which appears as “Bt. Mandai” in the olden maps. The name is said to come from a Malay tree called "pokok Mandai". Others suggest that “Mandai” might be a corruption of mandi, meaning “bathe” in Malay, as the river could have been used for this purpose.The name could have been derived from the district of Mandai in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, as there is a Bugis community in Singapore.