A Buddhist Trail opens

V.K. SANTOSH KUMAR

Footsteps To Enlightenment: A Buddhist Trail was launched at Haw Par Villa last Saturday as part of the Vesak Day Commemoration by Journeys, the park's operator and heritage tours specialist.

Members of the public can download the trail guide from www.hawparvilla.sg/tours-trails for free and embark on the tour themselves.

"There is a significant number of Buddhist sculptures and dioramas in the park, so Journeys decided to launch this trail to educate visitors on their meaning and purpose," said Hell's Museum chief curator Eisen Teo, who is also a senior researcher at Journeys' associate company Singapore History Consultants.

"We want to invite all communities to the park to celebrate one another's festivals, focus on common links and create a common space for all communities in Singapore."

There are 21 major Buddhist elements in Haw Par Villa that are on the trail. They include Gautama Buddha, the spiritual teacher on whose teachings the religion of Buddhism was founded 2,500 years ago; Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy in Buddhism; Ksitigarbha, a bodhisattva who is a saviour figure of the netherworld in Buddhist belief; and The Journey to the West diorama, which is about four characters travelling to India to retrieve Buddhist sutras.

"Later in the year, we plan to commemorate the Seventh Lunar Month by organising events related to both Taoism and Buddhism," said Mr Teo.

"After two years of the pandemic, as gatherings and international travel resume, we hope to attract more visitors to Haw Par Villa as a community space for festivals and events."

Last October, Haw Par Villa opened Hell's Museum, the world's first museum showcasing perspectives of death and the afterlife across civilisations, cultures and religions. It soon became Singapore's No. 1 museum to visit on Tripadvisor.

Journeys is also organising a Wellness Festival at Haw Par Villa from June 3 to 12. Events include an Ayurveda health talk, a workshop to explore mindfulness through art and a fitness session with music and dance.

More information on the Wellness Festival is available at the Haw Par Villa website.

Other than Footsteps To Enlightenment, the park also has a 45-minute tour Tiger Tiger Burning Bright which introduces visitors to the story of the Aw family, the people who set up Haw Par Villa.

Tickets to the park tour are available online on Peatix or can be bought at the Haw Par Villa Visitor Centre for $5 per person.

For visitors wanting a sleepover, the Shipping Container Hotel, Singapore's first movable container hotel, opened recently at Haw Par Villa.

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