Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery

Kong Meng San was founded in 1921 and has grown into the largest monastery in Singapore, some nineteen hectares of halls, pagodas, gardens and a columbarium built up over a century in a mix of Chinese architectural periods. The Hall of Great Compassion holds a large Guanyin, the Hall of No Form a reclining Buddha, and a nine-storey pagoda stands over the complex. It is a working monastery with a large columbarium, so much of the traffic is families visiting ancestors.

Background

Venerable Zhuan Dao founded the temple between 1920 and 1921 under the name Phor Kark See Temple, on Thomson Road land given by the businessman Tay Woo Seng. The longer name comes from its site, Kong Meng San, meaning "Bright Hill" and once called "Hai Nan Mountain". The original temple was modest: living quarters, a shrine room, a visitors' room and a two-storey building. After Venerable Hong Choon became Chief Abbot in 1947, the complex expanded beyond its two shrine halls and gained the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas. In 1983 the monastery set up Evergreen Bright Hill Home, a nursing home run on a non-profit basis, and on 13 September 2006 it opened the Buddhist College of Singapore.

Source: Wikipedia, "Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery"

Highlights

• The nine-storey pagoda - the tower standing over the whole complex.
• The Hall of Great Compassion - the Guanyin hall, the monastery's busiest.
• The reclining Buddha - the large figure in the Hall of No Form.
• The gardens - ponds, turtles and planting between the halls.

When to go

Year round; the monastery opens early and closes in the evening. Vesak Day and Qingming bring very large crowds. Mornings are quietest.

Things to know

It is a working monastery with a large columbarium and many visitors are there to mourn; behaviour matters. The complex is large and confusing without a map. Dress rules apply.

Nearby

Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park is south, and Lower Peirce is north.

Key facts