Pine furniture ? sacred tree attracts crowds
Sep 25 2007 12:00AM
People in Singapore have been flocking to a tree they believe supplies "lucky lottery numbers", according to reports.
Two "monkey heads" were discovered poking out of the bark of the African mahogany tree, leading people to believe there is a god living in it.
A wheel-like device in front of the tree which contains numbered balls has reportedly "aided" a series of lottery wins while bananas, peanuts and peaches have been left as offerings to the monkey god, sacred in Hinduism and Chinese mythology.
Experts have said the "monkey" images are a coincidence and the tree's devotees are witnessing the effects of several minor accidents in which the tree was involved.
"The uneven bark surface at the base of the tree trunk is the result of callusing, a natural reaction in which the tree grows new bark over injured areas," a spokeswoman for the National Parks Board told the Straits Times newspaper.
The crowd has grown to over 200 people in the last few weeks, with visitors taking pictures of the "monkeys" on their mobile phones.
Local residents have complained about the noise, litter and traffic jams caused by illegally parked vehicles in the area.