Thian Hock Keng
| 天福宫 | |
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Thian Hock Keng Temple | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Thian Hock Keng Temple |
| Order | Taoism, Mahayana |
| Established | 1839 |
| Site | |
| Location | Singapore |
| Coordinates | 1°16′51.8″N 103°50′51.1″E / 1.281056°N 103.847528°ECoordinates: 1°16′51.8″N 103°50′51.1″E / 1.281056°N 103.847528°E |
| Other information |
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Thian Hock Keng Temple (Chinese: 天福宫; pinyin: Tiānfú Gōng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Thian-hok-kiong; Temple of Heavenly Happiness; also: Tianfu Gong Temple) is the oldest and most important Fukien, or Hoklo (Hokkien) temple in Singapore. The main temple is dedicated to Mazu, the Taoist goddess of the sea and protector of all seamen, while a second temple at the back is a Buddhist one dedicated to Kuan Yin, the bodhisattva of mercy.
Thian Hock Keng Temple was gazetted as a national monument on 6 July 1973.
Architecture
Constructed in the temple architectural style of southern China, Thian Hock Keng has a grand entrance with a high step in front. The side entrance gates feature brightly coloured tiles portraying peacocks, roses and the universal Buddhist swastika in green and brown. This symbol represents good luck, eternity and immortality.
Guarding the doors are tigers, lions and Door Gods, traditional sentinels of any Taoist temple. Beyond this elaborate entrance are two courtyards. Straddling the courtyards is the temple proper, comprising the shrine of Ma Cho Po. On either side of the temple are pagodas -- the one on the left is a shrine of Confucius while the one on the right houses ancestral tablets of immigrants who founded the temple .
References
- National Heritage Board (2002), Singapore's 100 Historic Places, Archipelago Press, ISBN 981-4068-23-3
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