Thian Hock Keng Temple

Thian Hock Keng (literally "Palace of Heavenly Happiness"), also known as the Tianfu Temple, is a temple built for the worship of Mazu ("Ma Cho Po"), a Chinese sea goddess, located in Singapore. It is the oldest and most important temple of the Hokkien(Hoklo) people in the country. Another shrine at the back is Buddhist dedicated to Guanyin, the Mahayana Buddhist bodhisattva of mercy.

The temple originated as a small joss housefirst built around 1821–1822 at the waterfront serving the local Hokkien community, where seafarers and immigrants may give thanks to the sea goddess Mazu for a safe sea passage on their arrival to Singapore. The temple is located on Telok Ayer Street that originally ran along the coastline before land reclamation work began in the 1880s. Starting in 1839, the temple was rebuilt with funds collected over the years and donations from the community, the largest of which was from Tan Tock Seng, a Hokkien businessman. The building materials of the temple and a statue of Mazu was brought over from China, with the statue enshrined in the main hall of the temple in 1840. Some of the building materials, such as stone for the columns, timber as well as tiles were recycled from ballasts in ships. The local Indian community of Chulia Street also helped build the temple, and a statue of a man who appears to be an Indian holding a beam up at the ceiling was placed in the right wing as a reminder and gesture for their contribution. The temple was completed in 1842 at a cost of 30,000 Spanish dollars.

The main deity worshiped in the temple is Mazu ("Ma Cho Po"), a 10th century Fujianeseshamaness deified as a Chinese sea goddess. Early immigrants to Singapore offered incense to the goddess to give thanks for a safe passage across the sea from China. Today's worshippers come to the temple to pray for peace, protection and good health.[9]

A smaller shrine to Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, is located at the back. Other deities worshiped in the temple include Baosheng Dadi (God of Medicine and Health), Guansheng Dijun (關聖帝君, worshipped for spiritual protection), Kai Zhang Seng Wang (開漳聖王, the Sacred Governor Kai Zhang), Qie Lan Pu Sa (伽藍聖王, Boddhisattva Sangharama) and Cheng Huang Ye (城隍爺, the City God). Confucius is also venerated in the temple.