Haw Par Villa – which is also known as Tiger Balm Park – was built in 1937 by Tiger Balm magnates Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par. After the park was damaged in World War II, Boon Haw’s nephew began adding statues of various beings from Chinese mythology.
The 10 Courts of Hell attraction grew to be the park’s most famous addition. Explains Singapore Paranormal Investigators:
If tourist sights had a ratings system, the 10 Courts of Hell at Haw Par Villa would be rated R. While you don’t expect hell to be a happy place, this version of the netherworld is a slaughterhouse of dismemberment and disembowelment. It is also, strangely enough, a popular family attraction [...]The courts, which judge a person’s past life before he or she is reincarnated, are thought to be derived from an Indian Buddhist legend that spread to China during the Tang Dynasty. Each court is presided over by a yama, or emperor, who determines the punishment or reward for those brought before him.
Here’s a sampling of Haw Par Villa’s many statues. If some forelorn sap is getting tortured in a photo, it’s from the infamous Hell exhibit. The park also includes some NSFW-worthy statues, such as this sea creature evolving into a topless woman and the lady who’s breast-feeding an old man (while a semi-deranged child gleefully watches).
To make matters even creepier, unused statues would be abandoned in the woods behind Haw Par Villa. The Singpore Paranormal Investigators website has a good gallery of the hidden statuary and industrial ruin that abutted the park.
[via Metafilter, Jazno, Singapore Paranormal Investigators, and Cory Doctorow]
Republished from io9
I love Haw Par Villa. I have visited it at least 5 times over the years. It is looking a bit run down these days and I wish that the Sing government would invest some dollars in its maintenance. It is my favourite tourist attraction ever and I make sure I take someone who hasn't seen it with each visit and they are blown away.
I like it!