Siong Lim Temple
| （莲山）双林寺 | |
|
Siong Lim Temple | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Siong Lim Temple |
| Order | Mahayana |
| Established | 1902 |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Low Kim Pong |
| Site | |
| Location | Toa Payoh, Singapore |
| Coordinates | 1°19′49″N 103°51′27″E / 1.33028°N 103.85750°ECoordinates: 1°19′49″N 103°51′27″E / 1.33028°N 103.85750°E |
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Siong Lim Temple, also known as Shuang Lin Temple (Chinese: 双林寺), is a Buddhist monastery in Singapore. The temple was originally built in 1902 by Low Kim Pong. The present premises are located at Toa Payoh, Singapore.
History
Siong Lim Temple[1] is the common Hokkien or Fukien name of the (Lian Shan) Shuang Lin Monastery (Chinese: (莲山)双林寺; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Liân-san-siang-lîm-sī), pinyin: (Lián Shān) Shuāng Lín sì, literally Twin Grove of the Lotus Mountain Temple.[2]
The Buddhist temple is located in Toa Payoh, Singapore, with the 40,000 square metres site owned by Low Kim Pong, a wealthy Chinese Hoklo (Hokkien) merchant and devout Buddhist.[3]
When Low Kim Pong was sixty, he had a dream where he saw a golden light rising from the west over the sea (the west being symbolic of Buddhism which originated in India, and is west of China). He took the dream to be an omen, and went to the coast the next day. At dusk, he met an unusual Hokkien family arriving by boat.
The entire family had taken Buddhist vows and were on their way home to Fujian after a pilgrimage to Sri Lanka. Low, moved by their devotion, tried to persuade them to stay in Singapore and spread the faith. He promised to build a temple for their use. The head of that family, Xian Hui, eventually became Siong Lim's first abbot.
The funds used for its construction were raised by Low Kim Pong and Yeo Poon Seng, one of the saw mill pioneers during the period. In 1950s, the temple area was reduced to about 20,000 m² when part of the land was acquired by the Singapore Improvement Trust for public housing. Today, the temple still stands as a landmark amongst residential flats (HDB).[4]
The temple was gazetted a national monument on 17 October 1980, symbolising the social and cultural roots of the early Chinese immigrants.
In spite of being a national monument, Siong Lim was mostly neglected as the government of Singapore tried to westernize. By the 1990s, portions of the temple were in disrepair. Areas were cordoned off as being unsafe. A major renovation was started in 1994 and completed in 2002.
In order to return the temple to its former southern Chinese glory, eighty carpenters, sculptors and artisans were brought in from China to work on the restoration.
The temple was originally modeled after the Xichang temple in Fujian province, but has a uniquely Singaporean style. Singapore was an immigrant society, and although built by Fujian workmen, these original workmen came from different counties in Fujian. As a result, the temple has elements of Fuzhou, Quanzhou, and Zhangzhou styles.
The temple now boasts a seven storey gold-topped pagoda which is a replica of the 800 year old Shanfeng temple pagoda in Fujian.[5]
References
- ↑ "Photo by cooksister". cooksister. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
- ↑ "Siong Lim Temple". Buddhist-Tourism.Com. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
- ↑ "Siong Lim Temple". Singapore Hotels & Singapore Lifestyle. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
- ↑ "Photo by colinq". Instagram. colinq. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
- ↑ "Siong Lim Temple". TOURISM IN ASIA. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
External links
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