The Pulau Tekong Temple of The Sun Deity

Did you know that Pulau Tekong Besar used to have a thriving community before it was converted into an exclusive training base for the Army? The island, situated off the north eastern coast of Singapore, is joined to Pulau Tekong Kechil today after land reclamation efforts in the 1990s. It is hard to imagine that the island used to have a population of about 4,000 people in the 1950s.

Communal Well


Malay Kampong House

Commodities such as rubber, coconut, vegetables, prawns, fish, and tropical fruits were the main produce of the people living on the island. Several kampongs littered this little island before the Government's intervention and these pastoral villages were similar to those on other offshore islands such as Pulau Sakijang Bendera. (The more prominent kampongs on Pulau Tekong Besar include Kampong Selabin, Kampong Batu Koyok, Kampong Sanyongkong, Kampong Unum and Kampong Permatang, all important checkpoints being used by Army trainees in their navigation exercises today). Slowly, as the numbers on the island grew, a small township was established on the island with a row of wooden shophouses providing commodities for the islanders, thus eliminating the need to travel by boat to the mainland to purchase perishable goods such as bread or rice.

Provision Shop on Pulau Tekong - 1979

With such a large and flourishing population, places of worship were naturally constructed and there were at least 3 temples and a mosque on the island. These religious sanctuaries ensured that the Tekong natives could seek inner peace and practice their devotion without having to row their sampans to Changi, the nearest village on the mainland.

One such temple was the Pulau Tekong Tai Yang Gong Temple (roughly translated as the Pulau Tekong Sun Deity Temple). This temple is devoted to the worship of Tai Yang Gong - Lord Tai Yang, also known as the Chinese Sun Deity or Lord of the Sun. Lord Tai Yang is an important deity which provides direct blessings from the heavenly realm. Thus, many Taoist devotees pray to Lord Tai Yang in the hope that their wishes would come true.

Interior of the temple on Pulau Tekong


Temple Relocation Notice

Those who offered their prayers at the temple often asserted that their prayers were answered in the form of health or wealth. This led to many "mainlanders" making a short pilgrimage to the temple to pray too. However, with the island inevitably being taken over by the Government for military purposes, the temple had it coming when it was announced that it had to be relocated to Bedok North Avenue 4, a sandy and open land parcel at that time. This temple paved the way for many others to follow suit, as there are a total of 4 temples in the vicinity today.

Temple hands taking care of the idol during the bumpy ride


Convoy debussing from the Ramp Power Launch at Commando Jetty, Changi


Devotees welcoming the convoy at Commando Jetty, Changi

And so, on that fateful day in 1986, a convoy of Mercedes Benz 3-Tonne military trucks (fondly known as 3-Tonners) traveled to the entrance of the quaint temple and the temple belongings were loaded onto the trucks. In the heat of the mid morning sun, large boxes carved with intricate Taoist motifs and filled to the brim with a myriad of religious knick-knacks were hoisted one by one onto the trucks by a mixture of devotees, temple hands and soldiers clad in their Number-4 uniforms. It was a boisterous affair, a spectacle which would soon be a thing of the past for the island itself.

The new temple at Bedok North






Unloading the 3-Tonners

The idol of Lord Tai Yang himself was covered in red cloth (a Taoist practice to prevent malevolent spirits from entering the idol during its transfer) and loaded onto a 3-Tonner, accompanied by 3 temple hands. Several urns used for offering joss sticks were also placed on the same truck. During the entire journey, a 2-man band would play a monotonous tune which requires a drum and a gong, an announcement of sorts to sound out that a shifting ceremony was taking place.

The entire journey was a tedious process, as the convoy had to take a Navy operated RPL (Ramp Power Launch, a flat-decked craft with ramps at both ends and used to transport vehicles across water bodies) from the slipway in Pulau Tekong to the Commando Jetty at Changi, after-which the entourage had to endure another bumpy ride in the sweltering confines of the military truck to the new location in Bedok North Avenue 4. Made for the rigours of battle, sitting on the hard wooden benches in the back of the truck, which also happened to have rock-hard suspension, certainly wasn't the most comfortable of rides.

The devotees followed the military convoy to the new temple in a convoy of their own

At the new location, a handful of devotees were already on hand to welcome the idol to the mainland. As the military convoy cruised towards its destination, another convoy made up of civilian cars had formed up in tow, making for an extremely long line of cars. One could imagine how important this deity was to the devotees. It was almost like the arrival of a VIP, chaperoned by the presence of many.

One by one, the large boxes came down the trucks and into the new temple building. Everyone, from devotee to soldier, played their part to unload the items as fast as they could. When they were finally done, it was time for the idol to make its way into its new sanctuary. Temple hands carefully lifted the idol across the sandy path into the temple building, and devout worshipers had started offering joss sticks to Lord Tai Yang while the idol made its grand entrance. It was placed on the new altar, where it sat prettily for the first time and the red cloth was removed.

The unveiling of Lord Tai Yang at his new premises


Devotees offering joss-sticks for the first time in the new temple

Blogger Cavin Teo has a post on his visit to the new temple here. Although it is nothing glamorous compared to larger temples such as the elaborate Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum in Chinatown, the modest Lord Tai Yang temple was given a modern day makeover and is a far cry today from the simple wooden hut it started off with in 1986. Today, it is listed as the Tian Kong Temple, housing not just Lord Tai Yang but also incorporating a handful of other Taoist deities under its roof.

In this temple, there is also a curious deity which has caught the eye of many visitors. The idol, clad in traditional Malay clothes and made in the mold of a Malay man, was actually a part of the shrine on Pulau Sajahat (an island next to Pulau Tekong). Known as Tuan Pek Gong, this peculiar deity has drawn curious stares from many devotees who are unsure of who this deity is.

Our friend, Raymond Goh from the Asia Paranormal Investigators, explains:

"According to legend, in the early 19th century, there used to be an old man with a mustache often seen rowing a small boat at Pulau Sajahat. People have seen him a few times, and one day out of curiosity, they decided to follow him to the island. But when they reached the island, he disappeared. There was nothing on the island except for a large rock.

At that time the water passage around the island was not very safe, and Pulau Sajahat had a bad reputation as a cursed island. (Sajahat simply means bad in Malay)

In the mid 15 century (to be verified), the Acehnese and the Portugese had a naval war around the waters of Pulau Tekong. The Portugese defeated the Achenese at that time, and the commander in chief of the Acehnese committed suicide together with the remaining warriors.

People believe that the old man was that particular commander and when he died, he created waves to upset the sailors around the region. Therefore people started to erect a statue and called him Tuan Pek Kong to pray for peace. Tuan Pek Kong was later installed at the Pulau Tekong Sun Deity temple and this temple was later relocated to Bedok North Ave 4 where the statue now remains."

This was indeed one unique temple which utilised an entire military convoy during its shifting, possibly the first and only temple to do so. Hence, the story of this temple's shifting from Pulau Tekong to the mainland would be something which will be remembered for years to come.

The temple in the present day

More Heritage Stubs here

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Article copyright of Aaron "Six Stomachs" Chan

© One° North Explorers

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