近一个世纪以来,中 鲁区的一角矗立着一座看来不怎么起眼的小庙,没有人知道它已建庙多久。同时,绝大多数的人经过或来到中 鲁时,脑海中所想到的,无疑只是该区的食物或吸引人的事物,却从未跨进该庙宇一步。
庙宇在2006年时便已拆除,原址已让位给令人侧目、高耸的新酒店。时至今日,包括其状似葫芦,庙宇因它得‘ 葫芦庙 ’一名的葫芦状焚炉,也‘ 下落不明 ’。令人欣慰的是,在葫芦庙尚未完全消声匿迹之前,石叻学会的成员有幸地让其中两个陈年石碑‘ 重获新生 ’,并于2011年落户南安会馆,当文物般地保管。
石碑虽无法言语,可它上面所载的文字能述说着葫芦庙的历史。从碑文中,我们得知它是在1909年,由早期的南安移民所兴建并供奉广泽尊王,并于1918年进 一步扩建。葫芦庙之后名为‘威镇庙’,是在中国南安地区内或附近的十三座大庙当中的一座,建起并供奉尊王之后,才开始易名的。令人觉得饶有趣味的是,献地建庙者是受人敬重的当地商人、怡和轩俱乐部主持人,也是具影响力的私会党头目林推迁。
其中一个碑文写道 :威镇庙座落在芋菜园。昔日,人们以芋饲养猪只,一些以养猪为生的猪农,也将芋菜同米糠一 起掷入大锅中搅拌,充作猪只的日常养份而臭气熏天。相信大部份的人已忘记,但仍有少数的人会感触良深地慨叹中 鲁区已今非昔比了。
尽管碑文上记载着昔日献捐建庙之善长仁翁的姓名,但是,个人的身份及公司的蛛丝马迹已失传。在欠缺其他记录佐证之下,恐怕再也无法让他 / 它们和庙宇之间的关系还原了。我们能确切说的是,这个昔日是南安先驱人物聚首的地方,下回当你旧地重游时,脑海里所浮现的,只是这里的美食摊位或你所喜欢的餐馆而已。
A Story from Old Stone Inscriptions
For nearly a century, a small nondescript temple stood in a corner of Tiong Bahru. Not many people knew its age. The vast majority of those who passed by never stepped through its door, their minds no doubt intent on the food and other attractions of the area.
The temple was torn down in 2006 and a spanking new hotel rose in its place. No traces remain of the temple today, including the iconic gourd-like burner which gave the temple its popular name of “hu lu miao”(葫芦庙) or “gourd temple”. Fortunately, members of the Selat Society managed to recover two old stone tablets from the temple before its final destruction. In 2011, these artefacts were handed over to the Lam Ann Association.
Although the stones are silent, the Chinese characters on them tell the story of the temple’s early history. We know from the inscriptions that the temple was set up by early migrants from Nanan in 1909 and was dedicated to their patron deity Guangze Zunwang(广泽尊王). Further expansion took place in 1918. It was named “Weizhen Miao”(威镇庙)after one of the 13 major temples dedicated to the deity in and around the Nanan area. Interestingly, the land for the temple was provided by Lim Chwee Chian, a respected local merchant and chairperson of the Ee Hoe Hean Club, and at the same time a powerful secret society headman.
One of the inscriptions stated that the temple was situated in “yu cai yuan” ( 芋菜园 - taro garden) or “o chai hng” in Hokkien. In the past, the leaf of the taro plant was used as fodder in pig farming. Other than the stench of the pigsty, residents of old kampungs where pigs were farmed were also used to the whiff of taro leaves boiled in large vessels together with other ingredients such as rice bran, daily nutrition for the pigs. Long forgotten by all but a few old residents, this old place name evokes a
Tiong Bahru very different from what we see today.
Although the inscriptions also recorded those who contributed to the temple in its early days, these individuals and firms remain faceless. In the absence of other records, we will probably never be able to have a clearer picture of their connection to the temple. All we can say for sure is that this used to be a gathering place for a group of early pioneers from Nanan, that is food for thought the next time you visit your favourite restaurant or food stall in Tiong Bahru.
资料来源:新加坡南安会馆 会讯,第廿八期 The Lam Ann Bulletin,28th Issue,二零一二年四月 April 2012
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