Thian Hock Keng Temple

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Thian Hock Keng Temple (Chinese: 天福宫; Pinyin: Tiānfú Gōng; Temple of Heavenly Happiness) is the oldest and most important Hokkien temple in Singapore. The main temple is dedicated to Ma Cho Po, 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 goddess of mercy.

The temple today

I had the fortune and privilege to spend a large part of my childhood in Telok Ayer Street – experiencing living in old-fashioned shop house instead of the modern day HDB flat. I stayed in one of the shop-houses near to the current Telok Ayer Hawker Centre. Thian Hock Keng temple was about 30 metres away from my residence. In the 1970s until the mid 1980s, I remembered there was a small shrine opposite the temple and just besides the Hokkien Huay Kuan. Maybe the shrine was there even before the 1970s but today, the shrine is no longer there. In the past, the Hokkien Huay Kuan was a much shorter and old-fashioned building (a stark contrast to its current magnificent appearance). On the left of my house was a small “ma-ma” shop selling tidbits – a great convenience for people yearning for a quick bite. Today, Telok Ayer Street had been designated for commercial purposes and its past residents had moved to other parts of Singapore.

Children like us used to play in the back lane where there was ample space for social and recreational activities. My cousins and I enjoyed running around the places playing games. My days living in Telok Ayer Street were colorful and exciting ones. An illegal gambling outlet operated near my home offering Chap Jee Kee (12-number lottery) and 4-digit punting for the hopefuls. At the extreme end of the back lane, I remembered seeing huge snakes kept in cages. Due to the proximity, visiting Thian Hock Keng Temple was a favorite past times of Telok Ayer Street’s dwellers.

Today, walking along Telok Ayer Street, one can still spot vestiges and remnants of old Singapore. In the past as well as in the present, Telok Ayer Street is a multi-racial and multi-religion place. At the extreme end of the street is Telok Ayer Church (preserved as a National Monument on 23 March 1989), and there is a mosque at the middle of the street. A Hindu temple is also situated next to Thian Hock Keng temple. Mentioned Telok Ayer Street to any Singaporeans, he will think immediately of the renowned hawker centre, the celebrated Telok Ayer Market (now Lau Pa Sat) and the equally famous temple – Thian Hock Keng Temple..

A view of the temple in the olden days - 1982 picture

The oldest Fujian temple in Singapore, Thian Hock Keng was completed in 1841 by builders and artisans specially employed from China. All the building materials, the pine wood, the granite pillars, the carvings, and the craftsmen were all brought from China. The use of granite is particularly lavish and the panels, columns and windows are beautifully carved. The decorations remain almost intact today. They are richly ornamental and reflect traditional Chinese temple architecture in China.

Interior of the temple

Thian Hock Keng is Singapore’s most majestic temple. It was built when Telok Ayer Street was a sandy beach crowded with small sailing craft long before the first land reclamation that began the inexorable separation of the temple from the seashore that was the very reason for its existence. At the entrance to the Temple is a very low granite wall or barrier over which the devotees have to cross to enter the Temple; this is a reminder to Singaporeans and visitors that this was built to prevent the sea water from entering the Temple during high tide. Today, the sea is far away from the Telok Ayer Street.

Entrance to the Temple – the high barrier at the door served to prevent sea water from entering the Temple

For by all accounts, the temple’s predecessor; a shrine or “joss house” to Ma Zu Po or Tian Hou (Mother of Heavenly Sages) was erected on the site not long after the first Chinese immigrants followed Raffles ashore. Here, even before they had regained their land legs, new arrivals from China’s Fujian province showed their gratitude to the goddess for a voyage safely ended.

The history of Thian Hock Keng is firmly associated with the Fujian community. The effort to build the temple was led by Malacca-born pioneer and philanthropist Tan Tock Seng (1798 – 1850) who was the largest contributor of funds. This and other details of the temple’s history are recorded in granite tablets on the wall immediately inside the Entrance Hall (see above picture). There is also a timber calligraphy panel presented by Qing dynasty Emperor Guang Xu in 1907, evidence of the temple’s stature (see above picture).

The Temple is square. It has a central hall leading to a large courtyard and another courtyard with an altar of Kuan Yin. This temple like all Chinese Temples has symbols and designs intended to promote the health, wealth and happiness of the worshippers.

The biggest event of this Temple in the past and at present is the birthday celebration of Ma Cho Po who has blessed countless number of Chinese with luck and protection to become the most worshipped deity in the world today. Ma Cho Po was a symbol of peace to the early Chinese immigrants who toiled to bring prosperity to their descendants in Nanyang. The older generation called her Tian Hou (Tien Fu Gong) or fondly as Ma Cho Po in Hokkien. The Thian Hock Keng Temple was exclusively devoted to Ma Chu Po for a few decades in the early years.

Ma Chu Po

Over the years, Thian Hock Keng has been frequently photographed and described by travelers and writers. Thian Hock Keng temple was gazetted a national monument on 6th July 1973.

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