Thian Hock Keng Temple

Dragons adorn the rooftops
The entry arch
The stonework is almost as cool as the painted carved woodwork
And the doors are nothing to sneeze at.
A Buddhist deity who would gladly give you a hand.

Singapore has many interesting places or worship from Mosques to Synagogues, to churches, to Hindu temples to Buddhist temples. They are all open for viewing. A few weeks ago Sophia and wandered into the Thian Hock Keng Temple.

Thian Hock Keng is the oldest and most important Hokkien temple in Singapore. Singapore has a very large Hokkien population as the Hokkien province of China is not too far away. Known as the temple of the goddess of the sea and protector of all seamen, the temple contains relics brought from China which are said to be many hundreds of years old. The building is supported only on wood poles. Of the two pagodas at either sides of the temple, one is used to contain ancestral tablets. The building was built without using nails.

One of the first duties of a newly-arrived immigrant was to go to a "joss house" to give thanks from a perilous journey across the China Sea. In 1821,the Hokkiens had established such a "joss house" on the side of the present temple. The grateful immigrants who later became successful businessmen enabled the Hokkien leaders to plan a more ambitious building made of materials imported from China,which combined the functions of both a temple and community centre.

The temple was very nice without being over the top as some tend to be, There were various shrines, statues and carvings as well as memorials. The smell of incense pervades as worshipers light "joss sticks" as part of their rituals.

We checked out the peaceful place of worship and stopped next door at a religious artifact shop. The shop was full of statues of deities of all shapes and sizes. Many Chinese Singaporeans have shrines in their homes. Some are small while others are very large and intricate.

I will try to show you other religious sites soon.

Peace!