Bidadari Cemetery
The gate of the former cemetery, now located in a small memorial garden called Bidadari Garden at 10 Mount Vernon
|
|
 |
|
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1908 |
| Closed | 1972 |
| Location | Bidadari, Toa Payoh |
| Country | Singapore |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 1°20′7.53″N 103°52′19.21″E / 1.3354250°N 103.8720028°E |
| Type | Defunct |
| Find a Grave | Bidadari Cemetery |
Bidadari Cemetery (Malay: Perkuburan Bidadari, Chinese: 比达达利坟场) is a defunct cemetery in Singapore. It used to serve the Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Sinhalese communities.
The site of Bidadari Cemetery used to be the Istana residence of one of Johore Sultan Abubakar's wives.
The word bidadari means "fairy" in Malay, which was in turn derived from the Sanskrit word vidhya dhari, which means a nymph of India's heaven or a houri of paradise. The bidadari are depicted as kindly fairies and genies that preside over the union of flowers. In the local context, the name is a reference to the beauty of the wife of Abu Bakar of Johor who had a house there. The cemetery took the name after the sultan's wife ceased to reside there. The grounds were leased to a Japanese person who built moats with typical Japanese wooden bridges and a teahouse.
There were two sections in the cemetery: the Muslim section was at the base of Mount Vernon, bounded by Upper Aljunied Road, Upper Serangoon Road, and Bartley Road; the Christian section was across Upper Aljunied Road from the Muslim section, and bounded by Upper Serangoon Road as well.
Apart from being a place of remembrance, the trails inside Bidadari Cemetery used to be very popular as a running route for members of the Gurkha Contingent.
...
Wikipedia