The temple, which is open for prayer 24 hours, dates back to the early 1980s. This was when statues of various deities were discovered along the Loyang Way coast.
Back then, devotees of varying faiths contributed money for the establishment of a simple hut on the beach for worship, although a 1996 fire ravaged the site.
Devotees once again came to the rescue and donated money to build a brand new temple; this time, one with a tiled roof and brick walls.
The new temple was completed in the year 2000 at 62G Loyang Way, but in 2007, it moved to its current location at 20 Loyang Way. Today, over 20,000 devotees visit the temple each month, although, during certain religious festivals, there are certainly much more than that. Occasionally, animals are brought to the temple as a means of uplifting the atmosphere.
Aside from devotees, the temple also attracts tourists from all over the world who come to marvel at the impeccable shrines. Most importantly, this temple serves as a message of growing tolerance toward religion while promoting peace and harmony across all faiths.
Some of the deities found at the Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple include Da Bo Gong, Lord Yama of Hades. It’s also known for its 2-meter-high statue of Ganesha, which is believed to be the largest of its kind in Singapore.
Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple History:
Legend has it that a group of friends went fishing and discovered statues of Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism scattered across the beach. This was at the tip of the industrial area of Loyang. The friends then decided to build a shrine for the deities, which was in the form of a makeshift hut made of bricks and zinc sheets. This little construction served as a temple where devotees soon started to line up for their turn of worship. A few days later, a person of the Islamic faith claimed a place for Muslims as well and built a keramat. Since then, it has been a place of multi-religious worship.
On a sad incident in 1996, the hut which was the initial temple was reduced to ashes by an unfortunate fire. The only statue which hadn’t burned down was the Taoist statue of Tua Pek Kong, the God of prosperity. The mazaar was left in ruined remains. With the help of public donations, a new temple complex was rebuilt on a 1,400 square meter area at the same site. It was then that the temple got the name of Loyang Tua Pek Kong, after the God whose statue miraculously survived.
Again in 2003, the land on which the temple was situated, expired its lease contract. A new site was procured by the authorities for the construction of a new complex. In August 2007, it was relocated to its new premises at 20 Loyang Way. The construction of the new temple cost SGD 12 million and was completely funded by donations received from the devotees and the public.
