Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Glass Temple - Johor Bahru

Deities in a temple were all walls and ceiling are made of glass tiles.

Haw Par Villa - Singapore

A theme park depicting scenes from the Chinese mythology, Haw Par Villa was originally built in 1937 by the Aw brothers, inventors and manufacturers of the well known Tiger Balm. The park has since gone through good and bad days. Some areas are now derelict and closed to visitors.

Cheng Hoon Teng Temple - Melaka

The largest Taoist temple in Melaka. Built in 1645 by Kapitan Lee Wei King with building materials imported from China, Cheng Hoon Teng served as the main place of worship for the local Hokkien community. In 2003, Cheng Hoon Teng was awarded a UNESCO award for outstanding architectural restoration.

Taoist ceremony

The most impressive part of the ceremony was the burning of the large statue of a soldier on a horse both made out entirely of paper.

Taoist ceremony

At the end of the ceremony, paper idols and fake money are burned on a pyre.

Taoist ceremony

When visiting one of the temples, I was invited to return to witness a ceremony that takes place once a year at the site. The purpose of the event is to call back the souls of the ancestors for a day, offer them food, entertainment and transfer some wealth. They should then return satisfied and assist in ensuring good health and fortune to the participants and their families.

Red light

Lamps of local temples are often imported from China, like the ones pictured above.

Taoist Temple

The care taker explained that the temple was over 150 years old and built to house and safeguard a statue originating from a small village in China. It is the immigrants from this village that came to Singapore that funded the construction. Their descendants have ensured the protection of the statue and venerate their ancestors in this sanctuary.

Dragon on the roof

Another temple, another roof, another dragon.

Dragons on the temple roof

Tucked into an industrial zone in the Yishun district of Singapore lie a few temples that were relocated into this area when the lands they originally had been build on were taken back by the government. Going to an excellent Thai restaurant well hidden in the neighborhood, I used to pass by these buildings and, one day, decided to visit them with the camera.

Alcoves at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

Two opposite walls of the temple are covered with alcoves each featuring a statue of Buddha.

The giant smiling faces of Angkor - Revisited

This is a new version of an earlier post, with the image reworked in photoshop. Bayon is one of my favourite temple in the region of Angkor. To be fully appreciated, it needs to be visited early in the morning for two main reasons: the place turns into a zoo when the large operators bring their hord of tourists by bus loads (from 9AM onwards)... and the light just after sunrise is just amazing creating moving shadows between the smiling giants.

The Roof of the Temple

Under Singapore hot and humid climate, all forms of plant life made their home of the roof of this Buddhist temple.

A Prayer At The Buddhist Temple

A pause for a prayer - Within a Buddhist temple in Singapore.

Singapore Buddha Tooth Relic Temple - Chinatown

Singapore Buddha Tooth Relic Temple - Chinatown

Offerings at the entrance of the temple.

Singapore Buddha Tooth Relic Temple - Chinatown

It is claimed that the relic of Buddha from which the temple gained its name was found in 1980 in a collapsed stupa in Myanmar.

Singapore Buddha Tooth Relic Temple - Chinatown

The construction of the temple was completed in 2007 at a cost of SGD 62mio. Its architecture is based on the Chinese Tang Dynasty style.

Singapore Buddah Tooth Relic Temple - Chinatown

The Buddha Tooth Relic temple is the largest Buddhist temple in Singapore. The temple is dedicated to Maitreya Buddha and it houses the sacred Buddha tooth relic.

Angkor - Of Ruins & Roots (19)

Bayon Temple

Black & white variation...