Tou Mu Kung, also called Hougang Dou Mu temple (后港斗母宫), is a Taoist temple situated at 779A Upper Serangoon Road. Completed in 1921, it is the oldest temple dedicated to the worship of Jiu Huang Ye (九皇爷) in Singapore and was gazetted as a national monument on 14 January 2005. Among the Hokkiens, Tou Mu Kung is often referred to as the Kew Ong Yah or Kau Ong Yah temple, after the Hokkien name of Jiu Huang Ye.
History
According to anecdotal accounts and temple inscriptions, the worship of Jiu Huang Ye in Singapore began in 1902 and is attributed to Ong Choo Kee, a Hokkien migrant from Nan’an county, Fujian, China. Based on one popular account, Ong first heard of Jiu Huang Ye while on a business trip in Penang in 1902. He prayed for divine help at the Kau Ong Yah temple there and vowed that he would venerate Jiu Huang Ye for the rest of his life if his business deals were successful. When his wish came true, Ong acquired a talisman from the temple and housed it at an altar in his home at Lorong Chuan.
In the following years, the number of worshippers who visited the shrine grew significantly, most of them from the Hokkien and Teochew communities living in the surrounding area. One of the worshippers, Hokkien pineapple tycoon Ong Chwee Tow, decided to donate a plot of land around the 5½ milestone Upper Serangoon Road for the construction of a temple. On one of the two stone tablets listing the temple’s benefactors, Ong Chwee Tow’s name appears first. The inscription on this tablet also states that the land for Tou Mu Kung was acquired in 1919 and that the temple was completed in 1921. The second stone tablet lists the people who donated towards the building of a permanent stage outside the temple. The stage was completed in 1925 and used for performances of wayang (Chinese street opera) during festivals until it was demolished in 1998 for the widening of Upper Serangoon Road.
Building features
The design of Tou Mu Kung is mainly modelled after the architectural style found in Quanzhou prefecture, Fujian. The building has a symmetrical layout and is divided into two sections, with the prayer hall located in front and quarters for the temple keepers in the back. The doors of the main entrance are painted with pictures of two military door gods. Above the entrance is a plaque, believed to have been made in 1941 and donated by a devotee.
Typical of Chinese architecture, the roof is the most striking part of the temple. The ornamentation on the roof ridge includes dragons, dragon-fish and various types of climbing plants such as rattan, honeysuckle, Chinese trumpet vine and grapes. At the centre of the ridge is a blazing red pearl symbolising the sun.
A small courtyard formed by the central airwell separates the entrance hall and the main hall. Behind the main hall is a pagoda-like tower. Standing two storeys high, this octagonal tower features a red and white bottle gourd on its roof. In the backyard, there is also an old well that many temple visitors still draw water from to wash their hands and face for good luck.
Deities worshipped
The main altar in Tou Mu Kung is dedicated to Jiu Huang Ye. Another altar is dedicated to Dou Mu (斗母), believed to be the mother of Jiu Huang Ye and after whom the temple is named. Various other deities are also worshipped at the temple, including Guan Yin (commonly known as the Goddess of Mercy), Guan Gong and Da Bo Gong.
The temple’s most important event is the annual festival that involves inviting Jiu Huang Ye to descend to earth for a nine-day celebration. Held during the first nine days in the ninth month of the Chinese calendar, the celebration is usually a vibrant affair that includes grand street processions.
Ownership dispute and later developments
In 1984, Ong Choo Kee’s grandson Ong Yew Kew went to court to claim sole legal ownership of the land on which the temple stood. This took place amid hostilities between Ong Yew Kew and his relatives, with whom he shared the residential space in the temple. The former had been in charge of Tou Mu Kung’s affairs since the mid-1960s. He claimed that the temple was a private one and that he owned the land under the law of adverse possession, having lived there for over 12 years. In April 2001, the High Court ruled in his favour. However the Attorney-General’s Chambers, as the Protector of Charities, successfully appealed for the case to be reopened, and in November 2002 the High Court reversed its earlier decision. In August 2004, the Attorney-General’s Chambers appointed the Singapore Taoist Federation as the temple’s trustee. The federation then established a committee to manage the temple.
Upon taking over as trustee, the Singapore Taoist Federation decided to undertake a major refurbishment of the temple due to its dismal physical state. However no works could begin until the three households living there were resettled. In the meantime, a tent was built over the temple to provide temporary shelter because the roof leaked whenever it rained. In June 2008, Tou Mu Kung became part of the Upper Serangoon heritage trail under the “Colours of History. Trails of Memories” project by the Urban Redevelopment Authority to mark the rich and colourful history of the area.
By December 2010, Ong Yew Kew and his wife were the only ones still living in the temple, as his relatives had moved out after accepting relocation subsidies from the Singapore Taoist Federation. According to a newspaper report at the time, the federation had planned to embark on a S$5 million restoration of the temple after Ong accepted its offer. A year later, the temple remains under the tent shelter for protection from the elements.
Authors
Chow Yaw Huah and Valerie Chew
References
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The information in this article is valid as at 2011 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
