Chinatown and Temples

Our plan for the afternoon was to head in to Chinatown, take a look around then make our way to Gardens by the Bay to see the music and light show at the Supertrees. We take the bus in which takes us past some of the older historic buildings as well as some of the newer trendier neighbourhoods.

We're not sure exactly where we are when we alight the bus and so we just pick a street and start walking. I have a rough idea where there is a large Hindu temple I have earmarked but we may have overshot it so we keep going. We stumble on a small Hindu temple, it must be merely a few streets away from the larger one. This one is called Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar Temple and is beautifully adorned in the typical square pyramid (for want of a better description) with deities covering its surface in all the colours of the rainbow. We note that visitors are welcome to enter so we remove our shoes and wash our feet before quietly entering a small courtyard with a structure in the centre where several people are taking incense and praying. Worshippers walk in an anti-clockwise direction around this structure. I have since learned that this is called circumambulation.

Next we head towards the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. On the way we pass many stalls selling durian. I now understand the whole thing about the durian smell. It isn't foul, just very strong, kind os sickly and quite pervasive. I am willing to give it a try at some point. Just not today.

The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple was built in 2007 to house the "sacred Buddha Tooth Relic for veneration by our devotees". It is a solid and imposing structure dripping in symbolism. Inside the temple is exquisite. From the Hundred Buddhas Hall to the Universal Wisdom Hall every aspect is beautiful.

We leave the temple as the rain begins to fall and find our way into the heart of Chinatown where every store is festooned in the red and gold livery of the approaching lunar new year festivities. We find a bar and stop for a short break. We have decided to give the Supertrees a miss as the weather has turned miserable and we have already done a great deal of walking. As we leave the bar I realise that we are quite close to the first Hindu Temple so we go in search of it.

Wow! There really is no other word to describe it. The Sri Mariamman temple is astonishingly beautiful. My battery is low and my feet are sore but I manage a few minutes of video because it is just so incredibly beautiful. We are worn out and eager to get home so head for the bus stop to get us there. On reaching our neighbourhood we have just enough energy to grab some dinner of wonton noodles and chicken hor funRead more