Since I moved to the UK, whenever I fly back to Singapore, my mum will remind me to give my thanks to the Goddess of the Seas Ma Zu. I always do as I’m told, but I have no idea who she is and why. This was quite embarrassing so I would like to use this opportunity to educate myself and of course, if you happened to travel to Singapore, suggest a visit to this historic temple Thian Hock Keng.
Before I go into the details of who Ma Zu is, let’s learn about this well-looked-after prestigious building – Thian Hock Keng temple. It was built in 1840, along Telok Ayer street. Immigrants who had just landed or were heading back to China would always stop by the temple facing the waterfront to pray for calm waves and a safe journey. This is why my mum would always tell me to thank Ma Zu for keeping me safe while I travelled overseas.
This oldest Hokkien temple encompasses Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Taoism is represented by its main deity, the Goddess of the Seas and a few other legendary Gods. Buddhism is represented by the Goddess of Mercy, and Confucianism is represented by the worshipping of Confucius as a God.
The deities are Ma Zu (Goddess of the Seas), Guan Sheng Di Jun (Heavenly Sage Guan), Bao Sheng Da Di (Heavenly Sage Bao Sheng), Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa (Goddess of Mercy), Tai Yang Gong (The Sun God), Yue Gong Niang Niang (The Moon Goddess), Kong Zi (Confucius), Kai Zhang Sheng Wang (The Sacred Governor Kai Zhang), Qie Lan Pu Su (Temple Protection Bodhisattva), Cheng Huang (City God), Bai Wu Chang (General Xie) and Hei Wu Chang (General Fan).
They open daily from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm with free admission. After 3 pm, it is not advised to light the lotus candles as it would take too long to finish burning. They are within walking distance from the Telok Ayer MRT station on the Downtown line. Visitors and worshippers are advised to adhere to etiquette while in the temple: dress appropriately, show respect, refrain from touching statues of deities, refrain from rude comments or behaving inappropriately, refrain from taking photographs of deities and worshippers (hence the lack of photos in this blog post), no smoking and no littering.
While you are in the temple, look out for the stone carved windows, granite and marble plaques, stone lion sculptures, roofscape and urn. Here are the 10 ways to see the temple: https://thianhockkeng.com.sg/site/10-ways-to-see-a-temple/
Check out this virtual tour of the temple (Credits: Singapore University of Technology and Design’s Multi-Rotor Society and Architectural Conservation Lab):
https://youtu.be/3E2EQw7DnNc
Ma Zu was born on the 23rd Day of the 3rd Lunar month, as Lin Mo Niang in Mei Zhou island, Fujian Province, China during the Song Dynasty in 960 AD and died on the 9th Day of the 9th Lunar month in 987 AD. She was familiar with the sea and had the gift of predicting the weather and foreseeing storms and torrential rain. She saved many fishermen and traders from many dangers at sea.
Ma Zu has two guardian generals known as Qian Li Yan (General of Thousand Mile Vision) and Shun Feng Er (General of Brilliant Hearing). The two brothers had fought many battles during Shang Dynasty but lost the battle to Jiang Zi Ya. The two were casualties of war and turned themselves into evil spirits harming mankind. Ma Zu was able to conquer and subdue them both and turned them into her own loyal guardians. They have since helped Ma Zu to get rid of evil spirits and protect mankind.
There are many more deities in this temple that is worth your time visiting. Do take an opportunity to visit the temple and learn more about the architecture and the deities. They do offer guided tours and there are also educational leaflets for you to read about it.
Disclosure: All information was found on their leaflets.