Religious, Spiritual sights in Singapore
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Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
Opened with much fanfare in 2008, this magnificent five-storey southern Chinese-style Buddhist temple is quickly altering Chinatown's gravity by becoming the number-one attraction for both tourists and local worshippers alike. The temple, as you may have guessed from the name, houses what is believed to be the sacred tooth of the Buddha. The magnificent relic stupa is composed of 420kg of gold donated by worshippers. This is also the only temple that - to our knowledge - has its own underground parking garage.
reviewed
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Sakaya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple
In 1927 a Thai Buddhist monk founded the Sakaya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple, usually called the Temple of 1000 Lights. The entrance is flanked by a leopard and tiger, the latter in midleap, snarling jaws open. Inside is a 15m-high, 300-tonne Buddha alongside an eclectic collection of deities including Guan Yin (Chinese Goddess of Mercy) and the Hindu deities Brahma and Ganesh. At the base of the Buddha’s back is a low door into a small prayer room. Around the Buddha’s base are ‘Buddha – This Is Your Life!’ models and, of course, at least 1000 electric lights.
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Amitabha Buddhist Centre
This seven-storey Tibetan Buddhist centre holds classes on dharma and meditation (check its website for the schedule), as well as events during religious festivals. The upstairs meditation hall, swathed in red-and-gold cloth, is open to the public and filled with beautiful statues and other objects of devotion. In addition to being involved with community outreach, the centre also operates a store selling religious and spiritual items such as prayer flags, spinning wheels, and other items associated with Tibetan Buddhism.
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Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple
The embodiment of the Singaporean approach to spirituality, the Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple hosts three religions, Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism, under one vast roof. There’s even a shrine devoted to Datuk Kung, a saint of Malay mysticism and Chinese Taoist practices. This temple is new and grand with large handcrafted wooden cravings, swirling dragons on large granite pillars and hundreds of colourful effigies of deities, gods and saints. It’s a bit off the beaten path, but worth the trip.
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C
Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery
Nestled in a corner of the Toa Payoh HDB housing estate, the photogenic Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery, aka Siong Lim Temple, is a little out of the way, but well worth the journey. The original temple structure at the back of the compound is rather blah, no thanks to the many Frankenstein renovations done through the years. The sprawling mass built up around it, though, is something out of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
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Church of the Holy Family
With its gracefully curving roof, stained glass and gleaming white edifice, this Catholic church displays an interesting mixture of Western and Asian architecture. Though not the original building (the original chapel on this spot was built in 1923, though the origins of the congregation go back further), the edifice is worth a look. Keep an eye out for the unusual stained-glass window featuring the image of a 16-pointed star over the altar.
reviewed
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E
Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple
Dazzlingly colourful, the bustling Shaivite Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple is dedicated to Kali, bloodthirsty consort of Shiva. Kali’s always been big in Bengal, birthplace of the labourers who built this temple in 1885. Inside, Kali is pictured draped with a garland of skulls, disembowelling victims, and also sharing peaceful moments with her sons Ganesh and Murugan.
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Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple
Dedicated to Vishnu, the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple dates from 1855, but the 20m-tall gopuram is a S$300,000 1966 addition. Inside is a statue of Vishnu (aka Perumal), his sidekicks Lakshmi and Andal, and his bird-mount Garuda. Sri Srinivasa Perumal is the starting point for the parade to the Chettiar Hindu Temple during the Thaipusam festival.
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Leong San See Temple
The gorgeous Taoist Leong San See Temple is dedicated to Guan Yin, Goddess of Mercy. Built in 1917 using traditional joinery and intricately carved ceiling beams in a style similar to that of Thian Hock Keng, this temple has an effervescent, happy atmosphere. The smiling Buddha welcomes you at the door; to promote good feng shui, walk around clockwise.
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Pu Ji Si Buddhist Research Centre
Inside this fantastic four-storey building, which is part educational facility, part house of worship, visitors will find meditation halls, Buddhist libraries filled with books and scripture, and a seeming endless well of serenity. Take the elevator up for a sit by the fountain in the rooftop statue garden. Breathe in the air of serenity while pondering the eternal.
reviewed
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Seng Wong Beo Temple
Tucked behind red gates next to the Tanjong Pagar MRT station, this temple, seldom visited by tourists, is dedicated to the Chinese City God, who is not only responsible for the well-being of the city but also for guiding the souls of the dead to the underworld. It’s also notable as the only temple in Singapore that still performs ghost marriages.
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Malabar Muslim Jama-Ath Mosque
The sky-blue hexagonal-tiled Malabar Muslim Jama-Ath Mosque is hard to miss. Malabar Muslims from the southern Indian state of Kerala have worshipped here since 1963. Overgrown with time and tree roots, the RoyalCemetery is behind the mosque, its shambolic tombstones slowly succumbing to gravity.
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Sri Mariamman Temple
Paradoxically cast in the middle of Chinatown, the Sri Mariamman Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore, originally built in 1823, then rebuilt in 1843. The S$3 fee for taking photos is a rip-off, but tourists still descend in droves – and many trigger-happy snappers ignore the fees.
reviewed
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Kuan Im Ting Temple
A beautiful temple dedicated to Kuan Yin, goddess of mercy, this Buddhist temple is home to many festivals throughout the year. Of particular interest to temple-lovers is the ornate roof ridges, adorned with dancing dragons and other symbols important to worshippers of the goddess.
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Wak Hai Cheng Bio Temple
The Taoist Wak Hai Cheng Bio Temple translates as Calm Sea Temple. Dating from 1826, it’s an atmospheric place – giant incense coils smoulder over an empty courtyard while a village of tiny plaster figures populates the roof.
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Tan Si Chong Su Temple
With its decorative roof, guardian dragons and lions, and painted wooden doors, this is a particularly fine example of temple design. Built in 1876, much of the material used to make this temple arrived in Singapore as shipping ballast.
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Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple
The Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple is stunning, with its intricate yet understated facade. The temple eschews colour on the exterior and instead stuns visitors with its devotional art inside.
reviewed
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Sasanaramsiburmese Buddhist Temple
The SasanaramsiBurmese Buddhist Temple, a towering building guarded by two chinthes (lionlike figures), is next door to the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall.
reviewed
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Sakyamunidharma Centre
Housed over a large fruit-stand selling durians is the SakyamuniDharma Centre which has a meditation hall, and welcomes people wishing to learn about Tibetan Buddhism.
reviewed
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Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
Opened with much fanfare in 2008, this magnificent five-storey southern Chinese-style Buddhist temple is quickly altering Chinatown's gravity by becoming the number-one attraction for both tourists and local worshippers alike. The temple, as you may have guessed from the name, houses what is believed to be the sacred tooth of the Buddha. The magnificent relic stupa is composed of 420kg of gold donated by worshippers. This is also the only temple that - to our knowledge - has its own underground parking garage.
reviewed
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