Chinatown is one of the key heritage areas in Singapore, along with Little India and Kampong Glam. I love visiting these areas and discovering new things each time. Today I had the opportunity to visit Chinatown more leisurely so I took more snaps than normal :-)
I started from the corner of Temple Street and walked straight along South Bridge Road, host to these sights:
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Lunar New Year buntings along South Bridge Road.
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The oldest Hindu temple in the country happens to be at the corner
of Temple Street in Chinatown...
more of the temple later |
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| One of the streets, Smith Street, is dedicated to all that we love - Food! I remember having tasted the chilliest crab in town in one of the hawker stalls here |
After a few minutes of walking, I stopped at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple at the corner of South Bridge and Sago Lane. This was where I spent most of my two-hour "immersion"... I was quite contented simply soaking in the opulence of the place, listening to the soothing chants, disturbed only by the clink of the coins as they hit the donation jars - an old lady sitting in the corner told me that these donations apparently go into helping cancer patients like her.
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The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple - it's a long name, and I also spent the longest stop
in there ...As the name suggests, the temple was built to house the tooth relic
of a historical Buddha from a Myanmar temple |
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| This temple though is not for the faint-hearted...a fierce creature is guarding the door! |
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| One of the things that fascinated me is the symmetry of the roofs |
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Today is an extra busy day it seems, both with tourists, and local residents as Chinese Lunar New Year is just around the corner
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| One of the treasures inside the temple |
One literature says that there's a hundred Buddhas lining up the walls of the temple as "One Hundred Buddhas have the ability to help the world..." In any case, it actually looks more than a hundred to me, counting the smaller Buddhas that surround the bigger ones
Based on one's zodiac year, there is supposedly a special Buddha meant to guide each person. Mine is Amitabha...
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| Amitabha up close...according to Wiki, Amitabha translates to "Infinite Light"...he is apparently the Buddha of comprehensive love - it all sounds good to me :-) |
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| A closer look of the medium-sized Buddhas lining up one side...they are surrounded by many smaller ones |
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| The biggest Buddhas taking centre stage |
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The left-side wall from the South Bridge entrance
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| Eternity fountain or maybe the water circle...I'm just guessing the name, but the message about continuity, serenity, interconnectedness and flow is crystal clear to me :-) |
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| A shophouse along Sago lane |
Sago Lane and adjacent streets are dotted with souvenir shops and stalls that sell trinkets of all types at knock-out prices...from key chains to kimonos or cheongsam, jade and other semi-precious stones to paper art and calligraphy, hanging decorations including the ubiquitous red paper lanterns. I think one can find everything that one will ever need and won't need at Chinatown...
But perhaps the half hour or so at the temple helped me muster loads of willpower, because on this trip, I only bought a few items, and I swear they are things that are really needed :-)
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| All the laughing Buddhas |
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| And more laughter in the neighbourhood |
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| Along Smith Street - the uncle plays an stringed musical instrument...I was too shy to take a closer photo |
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| It happens...even in Singapore. |
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| I've taken a full circle and now I'm back where I started...at Temple Street. This is the entrance to the Sri Mariamman temple, founded in 1827 and now considered a National Monument because of its historical significance. The temple is quite popular among tourists judging by the frequency of tourist buses that stop in front. |
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| The ceiling as seen from the doorway (couldn't take much photo inside as it is not allowed. Well actually, one can take photos after paying a certain fee...but I thought against it.) |
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| On my way to the taxi stand, I saw this tiny window that looks into the temple's inner courtyard |
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| All blue...including my favourite cab ;-) |
And before I knew it, my "immersion" time was up...the heat was becoming unbearable anyways (I've put the paper fan I've bought into good use already --- as I've said, I've only bought things that are really "needed":-), so off I went, but looking forward to my next trip when I'm sure I will discover yet more new things!!!
#Singapore #Chinatown #BuddhaToothRelicTemple #SriMariammanTemple #yoursingapore
