THIAN HOCK KENG TEMPLE

The place where the temple is now located was originally on the seashore. It was here that the Hokkaido coolies arrived from Amoy by junk. In 1821, there was simply an altar and a small Joss House ("house of luck", i.e. a temple) which served as a night shelter for coolies waiting for work. A few of them quickly made their fortune and decided to build a real temple, even bringing the material from China. They thanked the gods without greed and built the oldest temple in Singapore, the "Temple of Heavenly Happiness". It was renovated between 1976 and 1989. Nowadays, it is not very crowded, but rather a place of rest and recollection for the old Chinese, who remember the old days. However, it remains one of the most grandiose and offers a very good example of what is called Chinese rococo architecture. The temple is dedicated to Ma Chu Po, mother of the wise men of Heaven or Queen of the Heavens, who is also the mistress of the Seas as she calms storms, domesticates sea monsters and comes to the rescue of drowning people. It is to thank her for having allowed them to arrive safely in Singapore that the Hokkians dedicated this sacred place to her. The building is richly decorated with multicolored tiles, dragons and granite pillars from China. The blue porcelain tiles come from Holland. At the entrance, there are two lions. The animal holding a cup symbolizing fertility is a lioness, the one with the ball symbolizing wealth is the male. When you enter, beware of the bar on the floor (and sometimes also of an old Chinese man sitting, dreaming while taking his nap). This bar forces you to look at the ground and thus to bow your head to the gods. It is also used to forbid the entry of evil spirits. Inside, the statue of Ma Chu Po, brought from China in 1840, is surrounded by incense sticks. On the left is the Goddess of Health and on the right the Goddess of Wealth. The first one can hear at 15 000 km and the other one can see at the same distance. They are two sentinels who complement each other. The brown substance on their lips and chin is ancient opium, supposed to sharpen their senses. This constitutes the Taoist part. The temple at the back is Buddhist and dedicated to Guan Yin, goddess of mercy. Her many arms, symbols of her love for all those who suffer, allow her to embrace and console. In the courtyards sometimes officiate the Indian charmers of cobras...