Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Self - Explore Singapore - Vegetarian Food @ Bugis

Today is 13th May 2014
which is also Wesak Day
I decided to go vegan today
I started to google and see whether is there any vegetarian food nearby bugis
And i saw a post from "Hungry Ang Mo" - Jiv Jago
I would like to have a try 
Jiv Jago is located at 17 Bali Lane
This is it

The design of the shoplot along this street quite special
a lot tourist and ang mo passing by

 
This is the menu
Order and payment are made on the spot
The owner of this shop was very friendly
as i ordered a lemon tea without ice which is not on the menu
He purposely made one for me


 Hot Lemon Tea

 Vegetarian Bolognese Pasta




Just some picture about the interior of the shop

After having this i went to pray at Kuan Yin Thong Hood Cho Temple


This is the famous temple in Singapore that many people will visit
Below are the history of the temple:

Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, located at Waterloo Street, is a popular place of worship for local devotees of Kuan Yin or Guan Yin, the Chinese goddess of mercy. Built in 1884, it is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Singapore and is a fine example of late 19th century Chinese temple courtyard architecture.

HistoryKwan Im Thong Hood Cho temple started first as a temple dedicated to the goddess of mercy, Kuan Yin. Other deities were added later with time. These include Ta Ma Tan Shith, a.k.a. Da Mu Tuo Shi, chief of the six Buddhist patriarchs, and Hua Tua, a doctor of Han dynasty who is the Chinese patron saint of medicine.

The temple underwent alterations and additions in 1895. It was demolished in the late 1970s and rebuilt all over again in 1982 with the job commissioned to Tay & Yeo Architects. With the reconstruction, the temple grew twice in size. In 2001, the land on which the old temple once stood was officially designated a historic site by the National Heritage Board.

During the Japanese Occupation, the temple was a popular place for people seeking refuge. In recent times, it has been a focal point of philanthropic activity, contributing generously to the needy and sick. Some of its most well known philanthropic activities include giving donations to the National Kidney Foundation and donating a sum of S$1.5m to the National University of Singapore to set up a professorship in computing. The temple also gives out bursaries to needy students irrespective of race. It is also a patron of the arts in Singapore.

Description
Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho temple forms a part of a network of historically significant religious buildings in the Waterloo Street such as the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Sri Krishnan Temple, Malabar Jama-ath Mosque and the Maghain Aboth Synagogue. The temple, a hallmark of traditional Chinese temple courtyard architecture, is reflective of craftsmanship popular in the late 19th century. With the reconstruction work in 1982, many new features were added while some old ones were retained.

In the old days, visitors to the temple entered through a recessed porch and screened anteroom which gave access to a large, covered courtyard. The courtyard led to the main prayer hall where the three main deities; Kuan Yin, Ta Ma Tan Shith and Hua Tua; were kept on separate altars. Another altar with a large idol of Sakyamuni Buddha was kept in the rear hall.

In the current structure, all the deities are kept within a single altar with the statue of Sakyamuni Buddha placed just behind that of Kuan Yin. Though the positions of the main deities were changed, other idols in the temple were kept in their old places. The current temple has two different roofs at different heights. Entrance to the temple is gained through a large gateway flanked by two smaller gates on its either side. Yellow swastikas adorn the ends of the roof rafters. The ridges have simple curves with calligraphy or decorations denoting good omen. Another feature of the new temple is that there is no candle or incense burning inside the temple hall. The urn for offering incense is placed outside the temple hall to prevent the soot from staining the ceiling.

The temple's most well known feature is its divination activity. Qian or divining sticks, which are wooden sticks with writing, are placed in a brass can and shaken. The clanking of these cans have been resounding in the temple since 1884. When the sticks fall out they are interpreted to foretell a person's future. In 1990, the temple became the first temple in Singapore to provide divination slips with English translations for English-educated devotees and tourists.

Most devotees visit the temple on the 1st and 15th days of the lunar calendar. However, the temple's most festive season is the eve of Chinese New Year when the temple is kept open all night long. People turn up in thousands and the whole street fronting the temple is packed with worshippers wanting to offer incense to the goddess of mercy for an auspicious start to the year.

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