SERVICES / RITUES AVAILBLE in this Temple

Monthly ritual of burning HELL Bank Notes to the “How Heng Thai”Hades

For thousands of years Buddhist tradition has created paper money which is legal tender in Hell. This paper money is burned, so that the person who just died or the dead ancestors who might have ended up in Hell would have something to spend. Chinese people even create paper cars, houses, and other physical objects out of paper and burn them, so their ancestors can have basic luxuries in hell.

Buddhist belief hell is not an evil place run by the devil. Hell is an in between place of learning and a place of spirit waiting to be reborn. In other words, another dimension of life.

Where in modern Singapore today can you find a Buddhist, Taoist and a Christian tomb stone lying within a stone’s throw of one another?

Christian Tombstone

Warrior Lee

Born 1915 – Died 1947

Buddhist Tombstone

Born 1945 – Died 1948

Taoist Tombstone

Year Died - 1928

Buddhist Tomb (Top Left) Taoist Tomb (Middle Centre) Christian Tomb (Front Right)

Where in modern Singapore today can you find a Buddhist, Taoist and a Christian tomb stone lying within a stone’s throw of one another?

SCARS FROM THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION

The early days of Japanese Occupation of Singapore….At 8.30 PM on February 8th, Australian machine gunners open fire on vessels carrying a first wave of 4,000 Japanese troops sailing towards Singapore. Fierce fighting raged all day but eventually the increasing Japanese numbers, as well as their superiority in artillery, planes and military intelligence – began to take their toll.The opening at Kranji made it possible for Imperial Guards armoured units to land unopposed at Kranji. Tanks with flotation equipment attached were towed across the strait and advanced rapidly south, along Woodlands Road.

Bullet hole on tomb stone

Till this date, the cruel bullets scars inflicted by the Japanese Occupation of February 8th is still extremely evident and clearly visible on numerous tomb stones doted within the 3 acres of burial ground.

Spaces for the Dead: A Case from the Living

Duration: 2001-2004

Venue: SHS

Contact Person: Dr Kevin YL Tan

History of Cemeteries in Singapore

Albeit being seen as sacred final resting places, cemeteries are increasingly under threat from urban-redevelopment in land scarce Singapore. Regarded as “excess space” by the state planners as well as taboos from the local populace outside religious activities, the rich historical and cultural heritage of our cemeteries have remained largely unappreciated and hidden. Since the colonial era, cemeteries have been moved aside by urban expansion with the fundamental belief that “the dead should not take up the space of the living.” Today, there are about only eleven cemeteries left in Singapore. But, with the recent announcement of the development of a new public housing estate on the grounds of the present picturesque Bidadari Cemetery, concerns have been raised about the status of cemeteries in Singapore. This has prompted the Singapore Heritage Society to embark on a larger effort to raise greater public awareness of the richness of our cemeteries not just as burial grounds, but as sites rich in history, nature, activities and memories for the living.

Spaces of the Dead: A Case from the Living will be a pioneering volume bringing together various authors concerned with the need for conservation of cemeteries in Singapore. This book intends to showcase cemeteries as spaces of historical, architectural and social merit through the writings and photo-journals of the authors. This project does not intend to be a comprehensive documentation of cemeteries in Singapore due to the constrains of space and resources. Rather, we do hope it would serve as an initial step in generating greater interests and awareness in Singapore’s cemeteries.

Hai Sai Yar (Sea Lion)

Forklore has it that this “Hai Sai Yar” was brought to this temple and left there many many moons ago by someone who strike “Bay Peow”( 4D Lottery )Whilst the true story underlying this Sea Lion statue may remain a mystery forever, the intriguing tales that underline its colourful history remains.