My Singapore Must See #1: Lian Shun Shuang Lin Monastery

Each day when I head home from uni, I drive along PIE and am always mesmerised by the colourful and delicate exterior of the Lian Shun Shuang Lin Monastery. The monastery is almost impossible to miss, with its crafted roof tops overlooking the busy road. I knew that I had to venture there as soon as possible!

The monastery is surrounded by HBD’s. In fact, the only way to get into the temple is by either walking or driving through the HBD car park. It look me a while to find the entrance, seeing as it is a very busy and confusing area. So, if you plan on going there, make sure you understand the map!

Once you are inside the monastery you hardly notice Singapore’s skyscrapers, busy traffic and white noise. It feels and looks like an entirely different world.

The monastery actually has quite an interesting historical background. It is in fact the oldest Buddhist monastery in Singapore and is a National Monument. The temple itself is more an a century old, with up to 11 years of restoration work put in since 1991. The layout of the monastery is deigned in a traditional Chinese format. 

The gardens are extremely intricate and breathtaking. I was blown away by each of the temples and the traditional architecture. The colouring of the walls and the art was exquisite as well as how every single face was designed and carried out with such evident precision. I have never seen anything quite like it.

I MORE than recommend one to visit the Lian Shun Shuang Lin Monastery. In my opinion it is one of Singapore’s most underrated and most breathtaking sights. It is the traditional architecture, gardens and historical Chinese layout which makes this monastery my must see in Singapore!