Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple
| Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple | |
|---|---|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Taoism Buddhism Hinduism Malay mysticism |
| Location | |
| Location | Loyang, Singapore |
.svg)  Location in Singapore | |
| Geographic coordinates | 1°22′16″N 103°58′11″E / 1.371000°N 103.969711°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Temple |
| Date established | c. 1980 |
The Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple is an architectural complex in Loyang, Singapore known for housing the idols of both Taoist and Hindu deities as well as a Malay shrine. The temple had its roots in a small hut by the beach that was destroyed by a fire in 1996. It reopened further inland in 2000 before moving again seven years later.
History
[edit]The temple was first illegally[1] established near the coastline of Loyang, Singapore in the 1980s. According to tradition, a few local fishermen elected to house the idols of Tua Pek Kong and other Taoist and Hindu deities that they had discovered at the beach in a makeshift zinc-plated shrine for public worship.[2][3]
Soon after, a Malay shrine was added to the temple after the villagers at Loyang "received a sign" to do so.[4] The initial structure and all of the original idols—bar that of Tua Pek Kong—were destroyed by a fire in 1996. A considerably larger temple was built near the original site in 2000 and christened the Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple.[3] It relocated to 20 Loyang Way—approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the sea—in August 2007.[5]
In December 2019, the temple was included as part of the 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) "architectural highlights walk" in the National Heritage Board's Pasir Ris Heritage Trail.[6]
Architecture
[edit]The main prayer hall of the temple houses the effigies of several Taoist deities, including Tua Pek Kong, the Jade Emperor,[7] and the Tai Sui.[8] It also contains a statue of Kṣitigarbha.[8] A Hindu sanctum besides the prayer hall houses some sixteen statues of Mahaganapati.[9] Wedged between the Taoist and Hindu sections of the temple is a gravesite-shaped Datuk Gong shrine[2] that is only accessible to individuals who have not consumed pork on the day of their visitation.[10] The temple can accommodate more than 100,000 visitors.[5]
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ deBernadi 2016, p. 98.
- ^ a b Gibson 2025, p. 136.
- ^ a b Li & Lu 2024, p. 316.
- ^ Amrith 2013, p. 278.
- ^ a b de Jong 2024, p. 176.
- ^ Yong 2019.
- ^ Chin 2024.
- ^ a b "Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple". National Heritage Board. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ Sin 2017.
- ^ Amrith 2013, p. 277.
Works cited
[edit]- Amrith, Sunil S. (2013). Crossing the Bay of Bengal: The Furies of Nature and the Fortunes of Migrants. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674728462.
- Chin, Michelle (25 November 2024). "Devotees mark Jade Emperor's birthday at Loyang Tua Pek Kong temple". The Straits Times.
- de Jong, Ria (2024). Lonely Planet Singapore. Lonely Planet. ISBN 9781837585458.
- deBernadi, Jean (2016). "On Daoism and Religious Networks in a Digital Age". In Joanne Punzo Waghorne (ed.). Place/No-Place in Urban Asian Religiosity. Springer. pp. 91–108. ISBN 9789811003844.
- Gibson, William L. (2025). Keramat, Sacred Relics, and Forbidden Idols in Singapore. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003493204. ISBN 9781032785882.
- Li, Xiaohua; Lu, Yawen (2024). "Documentary images and religious communication: the ritual transmission and functional imagination of Tua Pek Kong worship of Hakka people in Southeast Asia". International Communication of Chinese Culture. 11 (3): 309–323. doi:10.1007/s40636-024-00302-1.
- Sin, Yuen (27 October 2017). "Over 5,000 devotees attend Loyang Tua Pek Kong temple's Hindu consecration ceremony". The Straits Times.
- Yong, Clement (19 December 2019). "Pasir Ris trail opens as part of National Heritage Board move to bring heritage to the heartland". The Straits Times.