Story of 九皇大帝

Devotees refer to the Nine Emperor Gods as Kew Huang Yah in dialect. They are also called Kew Huang Da Di, which means the Nine Great Emperors.

The Nine Emperor Gods are brothers whom reside in heaven among the star. They are the seven stars of the Big Dipper. The other two gods dwell in two other stars nearby which are visible only to the eyes of immortals. Devotees also believed that the star deities have control over the destiny of human beings.

The mother of the Nine Emperor Gods was called Doumu

The mother of the Nine Emperor Gods was called Doumu, or Taobo in Hokkien dialect. Doumu was said to have been born in India. She later come to China and was married to a Chinese King by whom she had nine sons who were later deified and were known as Kiu Ong Yah. Doumu or Taobo herself was deified as the Goddess of the North Star. Having a deep compassion for the suffering of mankind, Doumu is the Taoist counterpart of Kuati Yin, the Chinese female form of the Buddhist Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.

Legends about the Nine Emperor Gods

The origin of the Nine Emperor Gods is shrouded by several different legends and myths. Some say that they were the Nine Human Sovereigns who ruled China for 45,600 years, some say that they were the nine heroes who helped the Chinese people at the end of the Ching dynasty.

Legend 1 : Emperor Peng who was the last emperor of the Sung dynasty (960 to 1127 AD) committed suicide when he was only nine years old while he was on a cruise to Taiwan. In order to pay homage to their Emperor the Hokkien Chinese dressed in white and refrained from killing for nine days.

Legend 2 : In the old days, China was divided into nine realms. The kings who ruled each of these realms did not want to be under the influence of one another. This led to a big war among these nine kings called “The wars of the Nine Kings”. An enormous number of people were killed and these nine realms suffered a great deal. Luckily, there was a wise man that tried to stop the war. He arranged for the nine kings to meet and talk for nine days. During these nine days, the kings took turn in presiding over the talk and agreed to refrain from killing and eat only vegetarian food. The whole population of the nine realms also stop killing and ate no meat for nine days. From then on there has been a custom for the Chinese to fast for a period of nine days during the ninth lunar month.

Legend 3 : The Nine Emperor Gods were send down from Heaven during the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1912) to help the Mings overthrow the Manchus. Before they could achieve their task, however they were caught and subsequently, on the orders of the Manchu Emperor, beheaded in public. Their heads were sealed in a vase and thrown into the sea. The vase was later washed ashore and a fisherman who happened to pass by opened it. On opening the seal, nine heads emerged and ascended to heaven and became deities. It is believed that the nine generals grant favours and take away bad luck.

葱茅园九皇宫 香友会

CHARN MAO HERN KEW HUANG KENG

REGISTRATION NO: 01215 DATED 9TH OCT 1996

28 ARUMUGAM ROAD SINGAPORE 409965

TELEPHONE 6746-5290

The temple by the name of CHARN MAO HERN KEW HUANG KENG is dedicated to 九皇大帝, 宋大峰祖师 and 感天大帝. It was built in 1943 in Paya Lebar Airport Road. In 1975 due to the acquisition of land by the Government, the existing CHARN MAO HERN KEW HUANG KENG was erected at 28 Arumugam Road (in Paya Lebar Road, behind Geylang Neighbourhood Police Central) Singapore 409965 and the temple "Li Shi Hui" was registered in 1986.

Each year during the ninth lunar month, the 九皇大帝 and 斗母娘娘 would journey down to earth and reside in the temple granting wishes to those who ask and who are worthy of receiving it.

The interiors of the temple honouring the deities are usually divided into outer and inner chambers. During these nine days, devotees must be adhered strict to vegetarian diet for at least one whole day and also rid themselves from any animal products before coming for worshipping and can move freely in the outer chambers only (INNER QUARTERS ARE STRICTLY FOR TEMPLE LOH CHU ONLY, thank you for not entering), while the temple workers and the most fervent devotees must be adhered strict to vegetarian diet for at least ten days.

According to the Chinese Custom, people who fast not only abstain from meat, alcoholic drinks and sex but also abstain from killing, quarrelling and telling lies. In other words, they have to purify both their body and mind.

On the afternoon of the 28th day of the 8th lunar month, devotees gather at Charn Mao Hern Kew Huang Keng in preparation to receive the nine deities and Doumu as they descend to earth. Those following in the procession must be adhered strict to vegetarian diet the whole day and are dressed fully in white. Before the procession, a prayer session will begin led by the Priest and Loh Chu (a person elected by the nine emperor gods the previous year). The Loh Chu is an important person as he has the honour of bearing the holy urn that serves as the carrier of the divine spirit.

The nine emperor gods are considered to be emperors and treated accordingly as per the Chinese emperor hierarchy, albeit not as strict.

When all is ready (about 3pm), the Priest, Loh Chu and devotees depart from Charn Mao Hern Kew Huang Keng to Marine Parade Seaside to welcome the visitation of the nine emperor gods and Doumu (who bring good fortune, longevity and health) via waterway.

When the priest is satisfied that the gods have arrived, the festival climaxes with a parade to the sound of drums & cymbals, dragon & lion dance performance and devotees carrying the deities in a large and elaborate sedan chair returns to the temple.

After the arrival of the deities in the temple, the members of Haig Road Xiang You Hui will invite 九皇大帝, 感天大帝 and 宋大峰祖师 to Haig Road Basketball Court (between Block 5 & Block 8) for worshipping, ending on the night of the 6th day of the 9th lunar month.

On the afternoon of the 9th day of the 9th lunar month, the procession returns to Marine Parade Seaside again but this time it is to send the deities back.