Monday, July 4, 2016

The Kallang Boat temple (nr.1 missing ikons list)

In coastal China and HongKong there are a group of people, most likely Hakka in origin, referred to as "Boat People". They have their own Taoist style ritualised worship .
  In Singapore at the Kallang river I noticed under the Benjamin Sheares Bridge along Nicoll Highway a small double tiered boat painted in green and red which on closer inspection turned out to be a temple. It lay permanently parked there for many years until the river clean ups in 1987.
   I can't say too much about this as I never saw anyone to talk to. I do feel rather disappointed with myself that I did not make the effort to investigate more deeply. One day it just disappeared. Similar to so many things I took for granted ...and then..poof !** ~~  they were gone.
    ** (Message to self..make a list for further discussion of Singapore entities that disappeared)
 Anyway here is no 1 on that list :



Heres hoping there is some other soul out there that knows something about this Boat temple, or anyone ancient as myself who remembers it. Please make contact or just leave a comment.
I will search for some other photos I have on this topic and plan to add later.

Heres an idea in case there is a following. Do use this blog to pose your own questions about buildings or monuments that you remember now long gone and were wondering.






The above photo is of another boat temple parked at Pasir Panjang wharf, (Pulau Retan) visited by now deceased photographer and my friend Phillip Little in the late 1980s.

3 comments:

  1. Wow! Never thought such boat temples existed in Singapore! Thanks for sharing. I am asking around if anyone know, and share more with us.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Its possible the older folks at Chwee Kang Bio might have some info...

    ReplyDelete