The statue of the four-faced buddha outside Golden Mile Complex has long been a landmark for those in the area. Besides being a popular meeting point, throngs of worshippers also offer incense there on a regular basis.
Ahead of the handover of the mall, also affectionately known as ‘Little Thailand’, to developers in May 2023, the statue is now seeking a new home.
The four-faced buddha’s real name is, in fact, Phra Phrom, thought to be a version of the Hindu deity Brahma. Phra Phrom is popular among devotees in Thailand and has many worshippers in Singapore.
The Phra Phrom statue outside Golden Mile Complex has apparently been there for over two decades, after a department store owner left it behind before relocating.
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Mr Loh Yuen Seng, one of the founders of the Thai Supermarket at Golden Mile Complex, shared that most of the shops there have found a new location. This includes his supermarket, which will be relocating to Aperia Mall.
Source: Google Maps
Sadly, the iconic four-faced Buddha statue has yet to experience the same fate.
Since time is catching up with them, Mr Loh, who is apparently the “driving force” behind turning Golden Mile Complex into ‘Little Thailand’, hopes to find a suitable new home for the statue by April. He has specific options in mind, as he told Shin Min Daily News that,
The statue has to be moved, hopefully somewhere outdoors. None of the new locations for the shops here are suitable. We hope to find a private property or a temple to move the statue to so that members of the public can continue to worship it.
More than 20 years ago, when a department store moved out of the premises, Mr Loh was the one who shifted the statue outside. He reportedly enlisted the help of a Buddhist priest to do so.
Since then, devotees have been able to pray and give offerings outside of the mall complex.
When asked about how the money collected from the public’s offerings to the statue was handled, Mr Loh revealed to Shin Min Daily News that the funds are donated to charity, thus giving back to the community.
Evidently, besides serving a religious purpose, the statue also helps to elevate the wider community.
Due to the statue’s clear value, we can understand why Mr Loh would want to relocate it safely soon. Hopefully, he’ll be able to do so, so worshippers can continue visiting the shrine and people can benefit from it.
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Featured image adapted from Choo Yut Shing on Flickr.
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