I’ve been to a lot of temples, churches, and other houses of worship in my time, each one dedicated to just one or two faiths (Taoism and Buddhism have a way of intermingling in some countries). But Loyang Tua Pek Kong temple in Loyang, Singapore, is something entirely different: it hosts deities from four distinct religions: Buddhism, Datuk Kong, Hinduism, and Taoism.

Looking from the outside, you might think this is just another Chinese temple. And indeed, it has many features in common with other Chinese temples on the island; you have your Tiangong censer (a joss-paper-burning tower) …

… your tiger in a cave …

… and your God of Wealth — this one well over two stories tall — being decked out for Chinese New Year.

But inside, the temple is divided into four different religious sections. The largest and most prominent, filled with dozens of Taoist deities, is the Taoist prayer area.

Many parts of the temple are currently under construction, hence the red plastic. This means that I was not able to see the statue of the temple’s namesake deity, Tua Pek Kong, the Peranakan God of Prosperity.

Just to the right of the Taoist deities is the Hindu section, where Lord Ganesha and his mount — a mouse named Krauncha — feature most prominently.

Three other Hindu deity statutes preside in archways behind Ganesha. Just to their right is the worship space for Datuk Kong, a Malayan guardian spirit.

Finally, a Buddhist room sits at the back, housing an altar and a lotus ceiling (perhaps because of the construction, I did not see the temple’s main bodhisattva, Ksitigarbha, at the altar).

The Buddhist altar is flanked by statues of multiple traditional Chinese folk gods. But my favorite part of this room was this abacus, which is divided into the 12 months of the Lunar year.

Why are there four religions at Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple? If the internet is to be believed (always an iffy proposition), in the early 1980s, someone stumbled on a group of Taoist, Buddhist, and Hindu deities statues lying together on a beach. A hut was built to protect the statues, and people began coming to worship there. Eventually, the hut burned down — and while only the Taoist statue still survives, a proper temple was figuratively built from the ashes of that fire.

Loyang Tua Pek Kong is divided into 14 stations, and worshippers are invited to burn a certain number of joss sticks at each one. This is station number 10, the Pavilion of the Wandering Souls, where 3 joss sticks are recommended.

The architecture and iconography at Loyang Tua Pek Kong are all very Chinese (here’s Guan Yin, the goddess of mercy, with some Chinese plaques).

But despite the nearly-entirely Chinese trappings, I saw worshippers of multiple ethic backgrounds going from station to station to pray. As far as bringing in practitioners goes, it probably helps that there’s a huge emphasis on praying for wealth. at Loyang Tua Pek Kong. The temple houses an oracle stone where you can pray for lucky numbers, and people write those numbers all over the place.

I’ve never seen a temple that combines multiple religions like this before, so I was glad that I made the trek out to visit. Of course, if religion isn’t your thing, you can stop by the temple’s chicken pavilion — an unusual and delightful addition to a pretty serious place.