Thian Hock Keng - 2

The frontage of Thian Hock Keng along Telok Ayer Street, Singapore.

Telok Ayer and its namesake road, Telok Ayer Street, was named after Telok Ayer Bay, located at the foot of Mount Wallich. The Malay name refers to "bay water" because Telok Ayer Street was the coastal road along the bay.

In 1822, Telok Ayer was the primary area set aside by Sir Stamford Raffles for the Chinese community. As the main landing site for Chinese immigrants, Telok Ayer Street become one of the first streets in Chinatown and formed the backbone of development of the Chinese immigrant community in early Singapore. Thus, the Telok Ayer district was the original focal point of settlement in Chinatown.

Until the late nineteenth century, Telok Ayer Street was the main commercial and residential thoroughfare in Singapore. As immigration from China increased, so did the adverse qualities usually associated with a highly concentrated population. Between the 1850s and the 1870s, the road was the centre of the notorious Chinese slave trade. By the turn of the century, the area had become polluted and congested, and these factors, as well as the increasing afflucence of some of the merchants, were possibly the main reasons which drove them out of town to look for a more salubrious environment.

Temples and mosques are plentiful in this area as they were built by Chinese and Muslim immigrants to show their gratitude for safe passage. The numerous religious and clan buildings on Telok Ayer Street testify to their importance in the past.

Tai Yang Gong (The Sun God)

Tai Yang Gong also known as Ri Guang Pu Sa (Sunlight Bodhisattva), Ri Gong Tian Zi (son of the Sun Palace), which is also Tai Yang Shen (The Sun God).
He was born in the East, patrols Heaven and Earth, divides the Day and Night and provids Light to brighten the world to destroy Darkness , Diseases and Enemies.
Tai Yang Shen is one of the protector deities of the world.

Footnote: My 2nd son's chinese name was named after the sun (李 幸 阳).

"A Gateway To The Present"

A side door from the compound of the temple looking out towards Telok Ayer Street.

Confucius (Kong Zi)

Original Name: Kong Qiu
Full Name: Kong Zhong Ni
Life history:
Initially he was a government official of the Lu Kingdom.
Then he resigned from his good post and started teaching the common people.
He even led his students to travel to other kingdoms and thus was the first person to implement common education.
He dedicated his whole life to teaching and even wrote books in the later part of his life.
The book “Chun Qiu” (Book of Spring and Autumn) that　he wrote was the earliest historical book in China.
His students also compiled his teachings and sayings into　the “Analects” which have greatly influenced the Chinese culture, and are referred to by the people.
He taught the importance of wisdom, common education,　cultivation of noble human character, development of one’s thinking and the application of theoretical methods.
He also taught his students to always enrich themselves with knowledge so as to serve the country and its people.

Qie Lan Pu Sa (Bodhisattva Sangharama)

The Sanskrit word “sangharama” means temple and thus “Bodhisattva Sangharama” refers to a “Temple Protection Bodhisattva”. Bodhisattva Sangharama in China is identified with Guan Yu, a figure who lived at the end of the Han dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdom dynasties.

According to a Chinese Buddhist book called Fo~zhu~tong~ji, Venerable Zhi Zhe (538-597A.D.) of the Sui dynasty once aspired to set up a Buddhist temple in Mt.Yu Quan. One night, while in his meditative trance in the mountain, the sky suddenly became clear and the moon was vividly seen. Venerable Zhi Zhe saw two men; one was old with a long flowing beard, and one was a handsome youth. The elder paid respect to the Master and said, “I am Guan Yu of the end of the Han dynasty. This is my son, Guan Ping. Our spirits have been wandering here after we died. Venerable, for what purpose did you come here?”
The Master replied, “I came to set up a temple.”
Guan Yu, “Venerable, please allow us to help you. Not far from here, there is a place with solid soil. My son and I would love to build a temple there for you. Please concentrate on meditation, the temple will be completed within seven days.”
After Venerable Zhi Zhe rose from the trance, he saw a magnificent temple over the direction that Guan Yu indicated. He was delighted and led all his disciples to move in.

One day, while the Master was preaching the Dharma in the temple, Guan Yu came to listen and said to the Master, “I was so fortunate to have heard the Supramundane Dharma that I aspire to practice the Bodhi path from now on. Please allow me to receive the disciplinary ordination from you.”

The Master then held an ordination ceremony for him. Thereafter; Guan Yu became a Buddhist protection deity, who protects Buddhist temples. As a result, he is worshipped in China as the Bodhisattva Sangharama. The two figures standing behind him are: on the right, Guan Ping, his son holding Guan Yu’s official stamp; on the left, Zhou Cang, his bodyguard holding Guan Yu’s long sword.

The temple's roofscape is its crowning glory. It consists of curved ridges, elongated eaves with upturned southern Fujian 'swallow tails' end sweeps and ornamentation.

The roofscape may be the temple's crowning glory, but for this bird, its a perfect resting spot!

Mosaic floor tiles added to the breathtaking mix of colours and patterns.

Da Er Ye Bo (The Two Great Generals)

“Qi　Ye” or General Fan and “Ba　Ye” or General Xie are two prominent figures that are always situated in Cheng Huang temples (城隍庙). They play the main roles to capture and send under escort of all criminals to the Deities in Hades for judgment and sentence. They also lead the procession rite of Cheng Huang temples parades.
“Qi　Ye” is characterised as being highly irritable and would not pardon those who have offended him. 　As such he is also called　“Fan Wu Jiu”　(范无救) which means “no mercy if offended”.　　“Ba Ye” is characterised as kind hearted, he is magnanimous and forgiving, therefore he is honored with the name of　“Xie Bi An”　(谢必安) which means “apologise and you are pardoned”.
According to the legend of　“Do Not Break One’s Promises”,　both Generals used to work for the magistrate in Fuzhou City as low ranked officials. They were good friends and later became sworn brothers. Since they were virtuous, upright, kind and trustworthy, they were highly respected by the people.

Photo shows a statue of General Xie.

One day, when they were out for an official duty and upon reaching Nan Tai Bridge, the sky was suddenly very cloudy and it looked as iif it would rain soon. “Ba Ye” told “Qi Ye” to wait for him there while he rushed back to get umbrellas. They agreed to meet each other at the same place. However, when “Ba Ye” reached home, a sudden severe stomach pain struck him and had to rest for a while.
“Qi Ye”was unaware of Ba Ye’s delay and waited for him at the bridge. When the heavy rain came, the water started to rise until the river was flooded. “Qi Ye” who was still waiting at the bridge knew that “Ba Ye” was a man who kept his word. He believed that “Ba Ye” would definitely come to the agreed place to meet him. “Qi Ye” decided not to leave the designated meeting place as he was afraid that “Ba Ye ” would not be able to find him later, so he held on to the pillar of Nan Tai Bridge. The current became violent and finally “Qi Ye” drowned. His face turned black due to persistent struggling. “Qi Ye” was then named as “Hei Wu Chang” who always carries a tablet with the wording “Arrest the Evil” on it.

Cheng Huang Ye (City God)

The word “cheng” refers to “city” and the word “Huang” refers to “city-wall” and the moat surrounding a city which protects the inhabitants’ well being and wealth and also safeguards them from intruders.
The phrase “Cheng Huang” originated from the book “Zhou Yi”. It is a kind of title for the Magistrate.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were five categories of “Cheng Huang”, namely:
1.Jing Du (Capitol) Cheng Huang
2.Sheng (Province) Cheng Huang
3.Fu (City) Cheng Huang
4.Zhou (Division) Cheng Huang
5.Xian (County) Cheng Huang
Sometimes these titles were also given different names by various emperors.
Cheng Huang did not initially have any spiritual connotation. However due to the worship of nature and spirits at that time, “Cheng Huang” also became deities which protect the place and the people. As such, people respected and worshipped the Lord of “Cheng Huang” with his subordinates, both civilian and military generals, such as “The Inspector of Day and Night” and The Lady of Cheng Huang.
These deities teach people that they should not be evil and they should only do good deeds to other people. Thus they became highly respected by the people.

Fellow visitors to the temple.

A dragon at the rooftop.

Another one.

Wood carvings depicting various colourful flowers are plentiful at the temple.

A statue of a man and a mythical creature.

Joss sticks are incense, traditionally burned before a Chinese religious image, idol, Buddha statue, or shrine. They can also be burned in front of a door, or open window as an offering to heaven, or devas. In modern days, joss sticks can be used for any purpose, such as to enhance the smell of a room, or to light fire crackers.

Joss sticks are religious materials in China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Korea,and Japan

The word "joss" is derived from the Latin deus (god) via Portuguese.

Joss stick burning is an everyday practice in traditional Chinese religion. There are many different types of joss sticks used for different purposes or on different festive days. Many of them are long and then and are mostly colored yellow, red, and on a lesser scale, black. Thick joss sticks are used for special ceremonies, such as funerals. Spiral joss sticks are also used on a regular basis, which are found hanging above temple ceilings, with burn times that are exceedingly long. In some states, such as Taiwan, Singapore, or Malaysia, where they celebrate the Ghost Festival, large, pillar-like dragon joss sticks are sometimes used.

The price of joss sticks can range from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars, depending on where the joss sticks were made. Low-quality joss sticks are cheap and can be found anywhere from a gods material shop to a supermarket, and many of the cheap joss sticks are made mechanically. Some may be harmful to the lungs, produce bad smells, and cause quick blackening on walls when burnt.

High-quality joss sticks from mainland China or Taiwan use natural resins, spices, and herbs, with less fillers such as sawdust and glue to hold the stick together and are not harmful to inhale[citation needed]. Higher-quality incense also use less added fragrant oils to enhance the smell and instead rely the quality of the main ingredients in the incense mix to be fragrant. The burn time, the stability of the burn, as well as the lack of heat in the falling ashes are all signs of quality in the joss sticks.

A woman praying at an altar located outside of the main hall.

A tourist taking photos. The temple is a popular tourist spot and one can see many tour buses parked outside of the temple each day.