Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery

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Pavilion with dragon roof ornaments and covered stairways linking tiled halls at Kong Meng San Phor Kark See, Singapore

Take a few hours to explore the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, Singapore’s largest (12 buildings) and most stunning. ‘Don’t speak unless it improves the silence’ is the creed here, the resultant quiet a surreal counterpart to dragon-topped pagodas, shrines, plazas and lawns linked by Escher-like staircases. On the premises is a large columbarium and several different halls devoted to various guises of the Buddha.

Finish your visit by reflecting under a bodhi tree beside the Hall of Precepts. (The tree is claimed to be a descendant of the sacred bodhi tree at Buddha Gaya.)

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