Singapore
Bountiful guardians of the world . . . when we long to win, may we be victors.
—Rig Veda, Book V, Hymn 62:9
If you arrive early enough at this lovely temple dedicated to Ganesh, the elephant-headed god of success, also known as Remover of Obstacles in the Hindu pantheon, you might see the priests ritually preparing the altar and statues for the morning worship (puja). Using jars of water poured amid clouds of incense, the priests intone verses in Sanskrit and ring a bell while washing, drying, and then adorning the idols with brightly colored flowers.
If you seek Divine assistance in attracting success or removing obstacles to create a new beginning, come to Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple to pay your respects to Ganesh (also, Ganesha or Ganapati). The temple is in the Tanjong Katong area, twenty minutes from the airport and easily reached by taxi or rental car. No shoes or socks are allowed inside the temple.
Offer a flower and ring the bell (if one is provided for devotees) as an invocation to the Divine. In a silent mantra, call his name, “Aum Shri Ganeshaya Namah” (“Praise to Lord Ganesha”) and ask his assistance in clearing obstacles from within or without and in manifesting spiritual or material abundance.
The temple, the second oldest in Singapore, was originally created in the 1850s by the Ceylon Tamils in the ancient south Indian ornate and intricately carved Chola style of architecture but has been reconstructed several times.