Tekka Market arose in 1915, it was first named the Kandang Kerbau Market, which is the name of the district that was associated with the cattle and meat trade. The south Indians knew the market as “Mattu Kampong Pasar” in Tamil. When the new market began, it was first called Buffalo Road Market and Cook Food Centre. Then in November 1981, included in the island-wide Speak Mandarin Campaign and movement to “hanyu-pinyinize” place names in Singapore, it was renamed Zhujiao Centre. This caused unrest among residents of the area as the Mandarin name did not match the identity of the district heritage. Thus, the complex was then renamed Tekka Centre in 2000. Several of the stall owners at old Tekka Market are second or third generation hawkers who their previous generations set up businesss in the old market 30 to 50 years ago.