Thian Hock Keng Temple ( or the Tianfu Temple,<!--Chinese in infobox--> literally "Palace of Heavenly Happiness"), The temple, located on Telok Ayer Street, originally faced the sea; the Telok Ayer Street used to be situated along the coastline before land reclamation work began in the 1880s.

Starting in 1839, the temple was rebuilt with funds collected over the years and donations from the community, the largest of which was from Tan Tock Seng, a Hokkien businessman. The temple was completed in 1842 at a cost of 30,000 Spanish dollars.

In 1840, the clan association Hokkien Huay Kuan serving the Hokkien community was formed within the temple ground of Thian Hock Keng. In 1849, the Chung Wen Pagoda and Chong Boon Gate were added to the right of the main temple. The building was renovated in 1906, and some 'western-style' features were added, such as a wrought-iron gate from Glasgow and dado tiling.

On 6 July 1973, the temple was gazetted as a national monument of Singapore.

A major renovation of the temple was initiated in 1998 and completed in 2000 at a cost of US$2.2 million. The renovation received an honourable mention from the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2001.

Architecture

thumb|left|Courtyard and front of main temple

Thian Hock Keng, built on a square site, is of traditional Chinese design whereby a group of buildings or pavilions cluster around the main courtyard. It has the standard layout of three halls commonly found in such temples &ndash; an entrance hall, a main hall, and a rear hall. The temple is richly decorated with coloured tiles, red, black and gold lacquered wood, as well as figures of dragons and phoenix, with embellished and gilded beams, brackets, and ceilings.

The entrance leads directly into main courtyard. Overlooking the courtyard is the temple proper where the shrine of Mazu is located. On either side of the temple are pagodas with octagonal base – the one on the left is a shrine of Confucius while the one on the right houses the ancestral tablets of Hokkien immigrants who founded the temple.

A smaller shrine dedicated to Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, is located at the back. Other deities worshiped in the temple include the God of Medicine and Health (保生大帝, Baosheng Dadi), Holy Emperor Lord Guan (關聖帝君, Guansheng Dijun, worshipped for spiritual protection), the Sacred Duke Kai Zhang (伽藍菩薩, Qie Lan Pu Sa) and the City God (城隍爺, Cheng Huang Ye). Confucius is also venerated in the temple.

References

News articles

  • Uniquely Singapore website
  • Interactive 360° VR image of the Thian Hock Keng
  • 360° image of the Thian Hock Keng's Entrance
  • Chinatownology: Thian Hock Keng
  • Singapore Photo Gallery by ziploc at pbase.com