Amazing art in Buddhist and Hindu Temples in Singapore

No visit to Singapore would be complete without a visit to the Buddhist and Hindu temples. The temples are awash in highly colorful imagery.

Buddhist art is dominated by images of the Buddha. The figures are generally in accurate proportions, displaying a good understanding of anatomy. Not all portrayals are realistic overall. Much of the art is repetitive, that is, most images are standard copies of traditional presentations.

I visited the Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown, which practices a Chinese version of Buddhism. Before you enter you must remove your shoes. You can not display your knees. They provide robes if needed. Photos are allowed at least during visiting hours. In the basement there is a theater and a vegetarian dining hall. The meals are free, donations accepted.

There are no gods in Buddhism. However there are rituals and relics. At the Tooth Relic Temple Buddhist temple people lit incense sticks. facing one way and then the opposite, waving them. There is a relic of a tooth of Buddha, however it is much too large for a human tooth.

From the Tooth Relic Temple, Singapore

The main floor has a 15-feet statue of the Buddha Maitreya, flanked by bodhisattvas.

From Hindu temples in Singapore

Hindu art is also wildly colorful. Multiple arms and other imaginary appendages are common.

At the Hindu temples during my visits priests dropped flowers onto statues while chanting or praying.

Buddhism, Hindu, Islam and Christianity are the most prominent religions in Singapore. The Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) recognizes 10 major religions. Thirty one percent of the population is Buddhist, of which 40% are ethnic Chinese. Interestingly the non-religious form the second largest group at 20%. About 19% are Christians , mainly Catholics and Methodists, Some 15% practice Islam, mostly ethnic Malaysians. Pew’s study found that Singapore is the most religiously diverse country in the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Singapore

The government is secular. This came as a result of religious riots in the 1960’s. A few groups are prohibited as cults, most notably Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Moonies, officially named the Unification Church.