Thian Hock Keng Temple

Thian Hock Keng is one of the oldest Hokkien temples in Singapore, standing at 158 Telok Ayer Street in the Downtown Core planning area and dedicated to Mazu, goddess of the sea, to whom early immigrants from Fujian gave thanks for safe voyages. The present temple was built between 1839 and 1842 with materials imported from China and carvings by artisans from Fujian. It cost an estimated 30,000 Spanish dollars, mostly donated by Hokkien merchants and community leaders, and Tan Tock Seng gave the largest single sum. Thian Hock Keng and the adjoining Chongwen Ge were gazetted together as a national monument in 1973.

The temple follows a traditional Hokkien layout of entrance hall, main hall and rear hall, flanked by side halls. Look up at the curved roof ridges with upturned swallow-tail ends, the four dragons flanking a pearl, and the roof mosaics made from cut ceramic pieces in the jian nian technique. Besides Mazu, the halls honour Baosheng Dadi, Guansheng Dijun, Confucius and the Goddess of Mercy, and the main hall holds a plaque and scroll from the Guangxu Emperor dating from 1907. A restoration from 1998 to 2000 earned an honourable mention in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards 2001. Telok Ayer MRT station is a short walk away.