If you are a tourist in Singapore and have about half a day to spend after covering the major tourist spots, or if you are a local who wants to take a break from your regular 'shopping-out-weekends', then Haw Par Villa (also known as Tiger Balm Garden) is the place to be. You might notice that even some of the locals might not be able to recognize the name when you say that.
That's because this heritage site has not gained popularity as much the others. There is no admission fee for visitors and is being maintained by the Singapore government.
It's a Chinese Mythological Park where you can learn about their traditional Values.Depictions of many Chinese mythological characters such as Fu Lu Shu, Laughing Buddha , Goddess of Mercy et cetra can be found here.
Each and every series of statue here depicts a story and the moral. The main attraction is the "Ten Courts of Hell" which explains the Rebirth Cycle and lists out common mistakes by a man and the punishments.
In the First Court of Hell, the soul of a man has to either go through a 'Golden Bridge' (If his good deeds over-weighs the bad ones) or a 'Silver Bridge' if its the opposite. From there, he gets punished accordingly for the sins that he had committed until the ninth court. Now, at the tenth court the man is reborn as something and given a potion that helps to wipe away the memories of the past life.
It reminded me of the Garuda Purana (a Hindu Mythological book). Though I have not read it, from what I have heard and seen in movies is something similar to this.
For someone who likes art, literature and mythologies , Haw Par Villa is the place!
Haw Par Villa is located at the Pasir Panjang Road. The nearest MRT station would be the Haw Par Villa stop, Circle (yellow) Line.
