The Lord Vinayagar Temple

The impressive entrance.
A busy place guarded by Ganeshas.

Looking forward to the next phase.
Nice carvings.
So true in English and in Tamil.
A line of pachyderms.
Removers of obstacles.
And a good little vegetarian place across the street too!

Now that we have been in our new place for a few weeks we are beginning to explore the area. The neighborhood is bordered by several well known streets - Joo Chiat, Marine Parade and East Coast road. Each has it's own interesting local attractions and flavors.

I am sure I will write a number of entries about the various sites, sounds and sensations of the area. Today I will talk about our local Hindu Temple.

One of my favorite things to do here in Singapore is to wander in to the many Hindu and Buddhist temples as well as the Muslim Mosques. the closest Temple to our new place is the Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple.

http://www.senpaga.org.sg/ This Temple was founded more then 150 years ago by a Tamil from Ceylon. Vinayagar is one of the synonyms in sanskrit for Ganesh http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesh. Of course Ganesh, the elephant deity, is one of the most recognizable Hindu Gods.

I have visited several times and have observed a number of different ceremonies.  All very mysterious to me, but not so to followers.  I love the music.  Tabla, horns, bells and even the sounding of a sea shell horn on one visit.  also the rituals involving offerings of food, oil, milk and fire all make me want to learn more.