Although Amitabha, the great Buddhist god of mercy and sympathy, is called ‘sovereign teacher of the Western heaven’, he is better known as the ‘guide to the West’. In Buddhism, devotees believe that if they chant the Amitabha canons dutifully in their lifetime, their souls will be led to the Western Paradise by Amitabha at their hour of death. The statue of the Amitabha Buddha is one among many others in Haw Par Villa, which was constructed in accordance with the theme of depicting Chinese legends and folklore. Originally called Tiger Balm Gardens, the villa was built in 1937 by Aw Boon Haw, a prominent businessman and philanthropist whose name became synonymous with Tiger Balm, the renowned analgesic ointment that was successfully marketed in Singapore and around the Southeast Asian region.
