Why are there pockets of areas in Singapore where a lot of churches, temples, mosque congregate? There are places such as Queen street, Bukit Timah near Salvation Army, Bukit Batok St 11, etc. Is there more than meets the eye?
Religious Harmony is a very good and beautiful thing... trying to 'Stir' is not... :think:
Have you check out the Old Tampines Road?
Geylang area.
Yes. I am asking is there a particular reason why these places of worship harmoniously congregate around an area. Cannot be due to coincidences right?
Temples and mosques are plentiful in this area as they were built by Chinese and Muslim immigrants to show their gratitude for safe passage. The numerous religious and clan buildings on Telok Ayer Street testify to their importance in the past.
These buildings include:
Thian Hock Keng Temple (1820s), the oldest Hokkien temple in Singapore, dedicated to Matsu, Goddess of the Sea, Queen of Heaven and Patron of Sailors,
Fuk Tak Chi Temple (1824), built jointly by the Hakkas and Cantonese, colloquially known as the mah cau toh peh kong, now restored as a museum,
Hock Teck Chi Temple (1824–1869),
Ying Fo Fui Kun Hakka Association Hall (1882),
Ying Fo Fui Kun Temple (1823), the earliest building on the street built by the Hakkas,
Nagore Durgha Shrine (1828–1830),
Al-Abrar Mosque (circa 1827), and
Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church (1924).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telok_Ayer
Here's one explanation for the older ones in Telok Ayer at least:
Walking down the inside lanes of Hougang Avenue 5 one Sunday morning, I witnessed an unfamiliar sight.
Inside the Chinese temple complex across the road was a beautiful idol of Lord Ganesha being bathed in milk. I have seen Chinese devotees in Hindu temples, but had never imagined spotting a Hindu deity in a Chinese temple.
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This set me on an interesting task to find out if this confluence of religious beliefs occurred in other temples in Singapore.
And to my delight I found two more such temples which included my favourite god as one of their deities - Tua Pek Kong temple in Loyang and Jiu Tiao Qiao Xinba Nadugong Temple in Tampines.
The Tua Pek Kong temple is a unique structure housing different faiths - Buddhism, Taoism, Islam and Hinduism - all under one roof. Inside the huge complex is a colourful temple of Ganesha in typical south Indian architecture.
The 2m-tall statue of the Hindu god is said to be the tallest in any temple in India or Singapore. Behind the statue are the shrines of Lord Subramanya, Goddess Durga and the Goddess of Wealth Mahalaxmi.
This statue, an Indonesian version of the elephant god, has a small head-like structure at the crown holding a hongbao in its right hand.
The temple priest Shankarasivam told me that many Chinese devotees perform traditional Indian rituals there for luck and prosperity.
He even showed me the Seng Puay, two crescent-shaped pieces which are used by devotees to find out if their wishes will be granted.
The resplendent Ganesha at the 80-year-old Jiu Tiao Qiao Xinba Nadugong Temple along old Tampines Road is a sight to behold.
Here the Hindu deity is honoured along with an earth god by the name of Datuk Kong as well as the Chinese deity Tua Pek Kong. The temple moved from Ang Mo Kio in 2004 and the Hindu god was included to symbolise racial harmony.
From: Ganesha lives in Chinese temples by Sandhya Iyer
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20101126-249329.html
At its former location at the end of Loyang Industrial Park, Tua Pek Kong temple also has a Muslim prayer room / corner. Not sure whether this got transferred to the new place as well.Under one roof even! Interesting stuff.
We do have such thing call Master Plan and change of use, where the authorities control the use of spaces. Very good theory but somehow people mess them up.
With limited land resources, we should put our land to better use. More public spaces that everyone can enjoy please. Garden by the Bay is one of the great recent planning.
what has that got to do with Religious Buildings and Places of Worship? are you saying that we should tear them down?
Did you notice that this mantra does not apply to religious buildings? Plenty of temples in prime locations still exist and are far from being torn down.I thought what I shared was simple and straight forward enough. With good planning, we designate areas for various activities. You don't get too many of such buildings and no covers ion of buildings / spaces to place of worship. If I got money, can I buy Ion and turn it into a place of worship? Obviously not because it is approved as a commercial retail. It is not about tearing down but control and limit them. Put land into better use.
We do have such thing call Master Plan and change of use, where the authorities control the use of spaces. Very good theory but somehow people mess them up.
With limited land resources, we should put our land to better use. More public spaces that everyone can enjoy please. Garden by the Bay is one of the great recent planning.