Located in the backyard of the still-under-construction Queen’s Hill public housing estate in Fanling, Burma Lines (also formerly known as the Queen’s Hill Camp) is a disused former British army barrack. What sets Burma Lines apart from other colonial-era barracks is that the site contains a near-intact Hindu temple, which was where the camp’s Ghurkas went to worship.
Dedicated to Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction, the temple has been vacant ever since 1996, but obtained Grade III conservation status thanks to the efforts of heritage campaigners. It’s a visually striking building, arranged in a hexagonal structure with five entrances, resembling a lotus flower, a symbol of beauty and holiness in Hinduism. Although much of the paint outside is rotting away and losing its colour, the interior is in relatively good condition, with the walls being painted a handsome shade of deep blue and red.