It’s always amazing what you can stumble upon as you explore the secret corners of the Lion City. Kick your way through the dust of the industrial area just a block past the MacPherson MRT stop, and you suddenly find yourself at three hidden temples on Arumugam Road in Singapore.

This post has been updated with new photos and an additional temple discovered on a return visit.

You truly do not approach these temples expecting much of anything — from the street, unless you look closely, you’d hardly guess what’s here.

But this far end of Arumugam Road is fabulous, and worth an exploration. Let’s take a look.

Lord Buddha Temple (Four Face Buddha)

We’ll start at the delightfully named Lord Buddha Temple (Four Face Buddha), which you might also think of as the Temple of the Yellow Lanterns.

This is a Chinese Thai Buddhist temple, dedicated to Phra Phrom, a representation of Brahma. Phra Phrom’s four faces look out in four different directions for work, love, money, and health.

You’ll find many traditional elements of Thai temples here, including day-of-the-week Buddhas, each in a different posture …

… a small four-face Buddha in a typically shiny Thai shrine …

… and representations of venerated monks …

… with disturbingly piercing gazes.

Other elements have a more Chinese look, such as this guardian dragon turtle …

… and this fabulous dragon bell.

Worshippers at the Lord Buddha Temple circulate through the temple complex in stations, moving through eleven points at which they stop, make offerings, and pray. These are dedicated to various deities, including Kuman Thong, a Thai folk spirit often represented by dolls.

The main prayer hall feels quite understated compared to the great mix of statuary outside. The was also the only place I found in these temples that asked visitors both to remove their shoes and to dress modestly (they offer wraps for women whose skirts are too short or whose shoulders are too bare).

I also stumbled on this painting, which had no apparent religious significance whatsoever (but was pretty wonderful from a home-grown, historical Singapore standpoint):

Charn Mao Hern Kew Huang Keng Temple

This is the simplest temple of the three, initially founded to serve Hokkien- and Teochew-speaking immigrants from China in the post-war era. Their worship centered around the Nine Emperor Gods of Taoism, deities who control destiny, life, and death. Today, the temple building consists of three narrow, high-ceilinged rooms. The first houses guardian figures …

… the second features a series of paintings set amidst rich gold ornamentation…

… and a third is filled halfway up to the ceiling with rows and rows of wooden plaques.

I’m assuming these contain prayers, though I can’t be sure. This is why I always wish that I had either a translator or a guide — or both — when I visit Chinese temples. On my first visit, Google Translate offered me “Swiss University” for the middle plaque; today, it gives the translation as “Head-baked Mao Book Fang Gong.”

Lorong Koo Chye Sheng Hong Temple

Across the street sits Lorong Koo Chye Sheng Hong Temple, a Taoist warren of rooms and hallways both large and small. Visitors are greeted by this outsized guardian …

… and this stunning horse statue.

As in most Chinese Temples in Singapore, you’ll also find Hu Ye, the Tiger Lord (this version is decorated with what look to me like Christmas lights and also appears to have a bar of soap on its nose, though I’m sure that can’t be right):

The ceiling here is covered in paper lanterns, which I loved:

The main worship area is gold, gold, gold, with blue-eyed dragons …

… and incense and offerings galore:

Among other ways to contribute to the temple and offer prayers, you can purchase joss paper to burn in the giant furnaces …

… or put money in a slot (as I did) to ring a giant, satisfying bell:

You can also make a donation, presumably by birth year, next to an array of small figures:

As with all Taoist temples, tiny deities abound …

… in what sometimes appear to be rather unruly masses:

But the most unusual features here were the paintings depicting the various courts of hell.

These are clearly hand-done, and I’m a big fan of the multicolored, pointy-headed demons:

Kim Hong Temple: Hidden in Plain Sight

On my first visit to Arumugam Road, there was so much construction debris, tenting, and hoarding that I thought there were only three temples. My recent return visit, however, revealed a fourth tucked into a corner: Kim Hong Temple.

As you come up the driveway, you’re greeted by statues representing the signs of the Chinese zodiac.

Directly across from these hangs a sign explaining why people need to pray to Taisul — also known as the Ruler of the Year — who governs each person’s luck for the year.

Before you reach the main temple, you have to pass by this entry complex …

… and Bai Wuchang, the Chinese deity who guides souls to the underworld (you can see the torments of hell behind him).

Pride of place in the central prayer hall goes to Qingtian Dadi, the Great Emperor of the Blue Sky, a protector of the cosmic order. Wielding a golden whip and a flag, he is said to help heal the sick in Singapore.

In the outer hallway, you’ll find areas for praying to Quan Âm (Guanyin), the bodhisattva of compassion …

… Hu Ye, the Tiger Lord, a protective guardian spirit who’s always in a cave …

… and Tiangou Gong, the Lord Heavenly Dog, who serves as a protective spirit.

I loved ending with this dog, which I have not seen in any other Singapore temples. It felt like a great way to round out the many guardians of Kim Hong Temple.

Visiting the Hidden Temples on Arumugam Road, Singapore

• Wear your shoes: Unless you see signs saying otherwise, these are shoes-on temples.
• Photography is okay: But check for no-camera zones, and ask before you photograph worshippers.
• Feel free to explore: Chinese temples in Singapore generally welcome visitors wandering around (just don’t get in the way of the altars).
• Participate if you’d like: The temples will appreciate your making a small donation and lighting incense sticks.

For another fascinating temple experience in Singapore, Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple brings four faiths together in a single worship space.