Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
133
destination. Before the major land-r eclamation projects shifted the shor eline outward,
the temple was close to the water 's edge, and so it was named “ Temple of the Calm S ea
Built by the Guangzhou People.” It's a Teochew temple, located in a par t of Chinatown
originally populated by this dialect group.
Inside the Taoist temple walls are two blocks, the one on the left dev oted to Ma Cho
Po, the Mother of Heavenly Sages, who protects travelers and ensures a safe journey. The
one on the right is devoted to Siong Tek Kong, the god of business. Both are as important
to the Chinese community today as they were way back when. Look for the statue of the
Gambler Brother, with coins ar ound his neck. The Chinese pray to him for w ealth and
luck; in olden days, they would put opium on his lips. This custom is still practiced
today, only now they use a black herbal paste called koyo, which is conveniently legal.
Inside the temple, y ou can buy joss sticks and paper for S$2.50 (US$1.65/£1.10).
Three joss sticks are for heaven, your parents, and yourself, to be burned before the altar.
Three corr esponding packets of elaborately decorated paper and gold leaf ar e to be
burned outside in the gour d-shaped kilns (gourd being a symbol of health). The joss or
“wishing paper,” four thin sheets stamped with black and red characters, has many mean-
ings. The red sheet is for luck (red being particularly auspicious), and the other three are
to wash away your sins, for a long life, and for your wishes to be carried to heaven. Even
if you are not Taoist, you're more than welcome to burn the joss.
The temple itself is quite a visual tr eat, with ceramic figurines and pagodas adorning
the roof, and ev ery nook and cranny of the str ucture adorned with tiny thr ee-dimen-
sional r eliefs that depict scenes fr om Chinese operas. The spiral joss hanging in the
courtyard adds an additional picturesque effect.
30-B Phillip St., at the c orner of Phillip St. and Chur ch St. Free admission. 5-min. walk fr om Raffles Place
MRT.
7
3 LITTLE INDIA
Little I ndia did not dev elop as a community planned b y the colonial authorities like
Kampong Glam or Chinatown, but came into being because immigrants to I ndia were
drawn to business dev elopments here. In the late 1920s, the go vernment established a
brick kiln and lime pits her e that attracted I ndian workers, and the abundance of grass
and water made the area attractive to Indian cattle traders.
A word of advice: If you visit Little I ndia on a Sunday, be prepared for a mob scene
the likes of Calcutta! Sunday is the only day off for S ingapore's many immigrant Indian
and Bangladeshi laborers, so Serangoon Road gets a little crazy.
Abdul Gafoor Mosque This charming little mosque is resplendent, thanks to a lov-
ing restoration completed in 2008. Nestled behind a row of shophouses, you really can't
see it until y ou arriv e at the gate. I nside the compound, the bright y ellow and gr een
facade and minar ets r eflect an I ndian M uslim ar chitectural pr eference, most likely
imported with the mosque 's builder S heik Abdul Gafoor. The original mosque on this
site, called Al-A brar Mosque, was constr ucted of wood in 1859 and is commemorated
on a granite plaque within the compound above what could have been either an entrance
gate or par t of the mosque itself . The newer mosque on the site was built in 1907 and
includes some unusual featur es, including ornate E uropean-style columns and the sun-
burst above the main entrance. This “sundial” has 25 rays in Arabic calligraphy relief said
to represent the 25 prophets in the Koran.
 
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