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Siong Lim Temple
Siong Lim Temple, also known as Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery (traditional Chinese: 蓮山雙林寺; simplified Chinese: 莲山双林寺), is a Buddhist monastery located in Toa Payoh, Singapore, next to the Pan Island Expressway. The temple was founded in 1898, but the construction of the premises only began in 1902 by Low Kim Pong and was completed in 1907. The monastery was gazetted as a national monument in 1980 and subsequently underwent a decade-long restoration that began in 1991. The temple now boasts a seven storey gold-topped pagoda which is a replica of the 800-year-old Shanfeng temple pagoda in Fujian. The temple also consist of a columbarium for Qing Ming Festival visit.
Siong Lim Temple is the common Hokkien or Fukien name of the (Lian Shan) Shuang Lin Monastery (Chinese: （蓮山）雙林寺; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Liân-san-siang-lîm-sī), pinyin: (Lián Shān) Shuāng Lín sì), which literally means "Twin Grove of the Lotus Mountain Temple". The name of the monastery refers to the twin groves of sala trees located at the Bodh Gaya in India, where Lord Buddha was believed to have attained Enlightenment. It is also commonly referred to as Siong Lim Temple or, in the past, Low Kim Pong’s Temple after its founder.[citation needed]
The Buddhist temple was built on a 40,000 square metres site owned by Low Kim Pong (劉金榜), a wealthy Chinese Hoklo (Hokkien) merchant and devout Buddhist.
When Low Kim Pong was sixty, he had a dream where he saw a golden light rising from the west over the sea (the west being symbolic of Buddhism which originated in India, and is west of China). He took the dream to be an omen, and went to the coast the next day. At dusk, he met an unusual Hokkien family arriving by boat.
The entire family had taken Buddhist vows and were on their way home to Fujian after a pilgrimage to Sri Lanka. Low, moved by their devotion, tried to persuade them to stay in Singapore and spread the faith. He promised to build a temple for their use. The head of that family, Hsien Hui (賢慧), eventually became Siong Lim's first abbot.
The funds used for its construction were raised by Low Kim Pong and Yeo Poon Seng, one of the saw mill pioneers during the period. In 1950s, the temple area was reduced to about 20,000 m² when part of the land was acquired by the Singapore Improvement Trust for public housing. Today, the temple still stands as a landmark amongst residential HDB flats.
The temple was gazetted a national monument on 17 October 1980, symbolising the social and cultural roots of the early Chinese immigrants.
In 1910, the buildings of the temple started to deteriorate due to termite infestations, harsh tropical weather and wear and tear caused by worshippers. Major restoration works for the monastery were first carried out between 1918 and 1919 and a second time between 1950 and 1954.
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Siong Lim Temple
Siong Lim Temple, also known as Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery (traditional Chinese: 蓮山雙林寺; simplified Chinese: 莲山双林寺), is a Buddhist monastery located in Toa Payoh, Singapore, next to the Pan Island Expressway. The temple was founded in 1898, but the construction of the premises only began in 1902 by Low Kim Pong and was completed in 1907. The monastery was gazetted as a national monument in 1980 and subsequently underwent a decade-long restoration that began in 1991. The temple now boasts a seven storey gold-topped pagoda which is a replica of the 800-year-old Shanfeng temple pagoda in Fujian. The temple also consist of a columbarium for Qing Ming Festival visit.
Siong Lim Temple is the common Hokkien or Fukien name of the (Lian Shan) Shuang Lin Monastery (Chinese: （蓮山）雙林寺; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Liân-san-siang-lîm-sī), pinyin: (Lián Shān) Shuāng Lín sì), which literally means "Twin Grove of the Lotus Mountain Temple". The name of the monastery refers to the twin groves of sala trees located at the Bodh Gaya in India, where Lord Buddha was believed to have attained Enlightenment. It is also commonly referred to as Siong Lim Temple or, in the past, Low Kim Pong’s Temple after its founder.[citation needed]
The Buddhist temple was built on a 40,000 square metres site owned by Low Kim Pong (劉金榜), a wealthy Chinese Hoklo (Hokkien) merchant and devout Buddhist.
When Low Kim Pong was sixty, he had a dream where he saw a golden light rising from the west over the sea (the west being symbolic of Buddhism which originated in India, and is west of China). He took the dream to be an omen, and went to the coast the next day. At dusk, he met an unusual Hokkien family arriving by boat.
The entire family had taken Buddhist vows and were on their way home to Fujian after a pilgrimage to Sri Lanka. Low, moved by their devotion, tried to persuade them to stay in Singapore and spread the faith. He promised to build a temple for their use. The head of that family, Hsien Hui (賢慧), eventually became Siong Lim's first abbot.
The funds used for its construction were raised by Low Kim Pong and Yeo Poon Seng, one of the saw mill pioneers during the period. In 1950s, the temple area was reduced to about 20,000 m² when part of the land was acquired by the Singapore Improvement Trust for public housing. Today, the temple still stands as a landmark amongst residential HDB flats.
The temple was gazetted a national monument on 17 October 1980, symbolising the social and cultural roots of the early Chinese immigrants.
In 1910, the buildings of the temple started to deteriorate due to termite infestations, harsh tropical weather and wear and tear caused by worshippers. Major restoration works for the monastery were first carried out between 1918 and 1919 and a second time between 1950 and 1954.