Thian Hock Keng Temple 
From Singapore Hotels & Singapore Lifestyle
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Thian Hock Keng Temple, beautifully restored in Chinatown, is the oldest and most important of the Chinese Temples in Singapore.
Its name translates as Temple of Heavenly Bliss, which is entirely apt given the gorgeous decoration of this temple, the oldest and most important Hokkien temple in Singapore. It was built between 1839 and 1842 on the site of the shrine to Ma-Chu-Po, Goddess of the Sea, who reputedly could calm rough waters and rescue those in danger of drowning. This place was once the favourite landing point of Chinese sailors (believe it or not, Telok Ayer Street used to run along the shoreline). It was here that seafarers and immigrants from the Fukien Province set up a joss house in gratitude for their safe arrival after their long voyage from China in the 1820s.
Today, the road is blocked from the sea by a wall of gleaming skyscrapers. Completed in 1842, Thian Hock Keng Temple was built without the use of a single nail. As you wander through the courtyards of the temple, look for the rooftop dragons, the intricately decorated beams, the gold-leafed panels and, best of all, the beautifully painted doors. Dragons, venerated for protection on sea voyages, leap along the roof and curl around great granite pillars. All the materials came from China except, interestingly, the gates (which came all the way from Scotland) and the tiles (from Holland).
The temple was magnificently restored in 2000. During the restoration, a calligraphic panel (ie. silk scroll) from 1907 bearing the handwriting of Guang Xu (1871 - 1908), Emperor of China during the Qing Dynasty, was discovered above the central altar. The scroll, with four large Chinese characters saying "bo jing nan ming" (the wave is calm in the South Seas), was a gift from the emperor to the Thian Hock Keng Temple in 1906 to mark the completion of its first major restoration. It is considered a rare piece of calligraphy by the emperor who gave similar pieces only to two other temples in the region - the Wak Hai Cheng Bio Temple on Phillip Street in 1899 and a temple in Malaysia's Penang island.
Incense wafts from great brass urns in front of altars laden with fruit offerings. There's always plenty of activity, from worshippers clasping incense sticks and bowing in prayer to noisy bargaining for souvenirs.
Images from Thian Hock Keng Temple
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Visitors' Information
- Tel: (+65) 6423 4626
- Location: 158 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 048613
- Nearest MRT: Raffles Place MRT Station or Chinatown MRT Station
