Thien Hock Keng Temple

The walking tour @ Telok Ayer started because I wanted to visit a Chinese temple. We've obviously been to many churches & since being back in Singapore, Indian temples & Malay mosque. I don't believe The Girl has stepped foot into a Chinese temple. Shame on me & if you know me by now, you'll know it's not about religion but more about her understanding her roots.

Thien Hock Keng Temple came to mind & by googling it, I found a website that recommended the tour we did. Maybe I'm behind the times but this temple has it's own website & very well designed. All the info you need to know about obviously their history & events but also about purchasing an ancestral tablet, the location & explanation of the various deities within the temple grounds etc. Wow.

Some background & history. Built more than 160 years ago, it's one of the oldest Chinese temples in Singapore & one of the most important for the Hokkien community. Remember what I said about Telok Ayer being a coastal road, the temple used to face the sea & was used to honor Ma Tzu (Goddess of the Sea).

It has since been renovated & if you do visit, make sure you take in all the intricate details which in my opinion, makes this temple quite a gem.

Read that in Hokkien & you'll get
Thien Hock Keng

The courtyard of the temple with the skyscrappers in the background

When we were there, there were more tourists than worshippers. This place certainly piqued The Girl's interest & she had many questions about what's going on. This beats going to a shopping mall on a weekend.

I was particularly fascinated with the patterned tiles. So old school. It's hard to find them nowadays.