Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho temple & Sri Krishnan temple Singapore

Singapore offers a unique mixture of cultures with Chinese, Malays and Indians making up the main population with a scattering of Brits and others. Walking around town one will notice unique cultural icons and three of those can be found on Waterloo St. near Bugis MRT station.

•Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho temple
Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple was built in 1884 on 500sq meters of land. Passerby will immediately be struck by the large entrance, topped with the impressive curved Chinese style roof. Everyday people come to light incense and offer prayers to Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy.

During WWII Singapore was bombed by the Japanese air force. Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho temple survived unlike many of the buildings in the immediate area and was used to house homeless and sick. Chinese people attribute this as a direct result of the Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin. The temple expanded in 1981 and became a historic site in 2001.

Devotees then and now attributed this miracle to the compassion of . In 1983, the Temple was rebuilt and enlarged to its present day size and in 2001 the temple was marked as a historic site in Singapore. Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho temple is actively involved in charitable services including building a kidney dialysis center and a health screening project.

Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho temple
178 Waterloo Street,
Singapore 187964

Sri Krishnan temple
Located on Waterloo St. just 50 meters from the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho temple is the Hindu Sri Krishnan temple. An interesting feature of Singapore is that devotees of Buddhist and Hindu faiths will stop and offer prayers at both temples.

Sri Krishnan temple dates back to the 19th Century. There was a large Hindu community in the neighbourhood bounded by Bras Basah Road, Victoria Street and Albert Street. In 1870 Hanuman Beem Singh set up a shrine for Lord Krishna under a banyan tree in Waterloo Street. As its congregation of Hindus grew so did the Temple. Worshippers will sometimes waft the smoking incense towards them from the smoking pot provided by the temple.

Sri Krishnan Temple
Waterloo Street 152

On the same section of street is a large brass Buddha, standing about 7ft tall. People pass by gently rubbing it, sometimes walking all the way around while rubbing it. This reminded me of the Buddhist prayer wheels in Nepal, where a selection of wheels are gently turned by passing people in the street. Whatever your beliefs, Waterloo St. offers a great place to observe a part of Singapore’s religious life.