Taipei Tianhou Temple Introduction
Taipei Tianhou Temple, commonly known as "Ximending Mazu Temple," is dedicated to the Heavenly Mother Mazu and is located on Chengdu Road in Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan. It was established in 1746 by local merchants (originally named Xinxing Temple) and is renowned as one of the three major temples in Wanhua during the Qing Dynasty period, along with Longshan Temple and Zushi Temple. In 1943, due to the expansion of Xiyuan Road, the temple was demolished, and the statue was temporarily housed in Longshan Temple. In 1948, the statue of the Heavenly Mother was welcomed out from Longshan Temple by devotees and enshrined in Hongfa Temple, located near the intersection of Chengdu Road's north side and Xining South Road. Originally built during the Japanese occupation, Hongfa Temple was destroyed by fire after the war, and the main hall of Xinxing Temple was rebuilt and renamed "Taiwan Provincial Tianhou Temple," which was soon changed to "Taipei Tianhou Temple," marking a tumultuous history. Mazu is regarded as the sea guardian deity. Early on, Taiwan relied on the ocean for livelihood and saw immigrants crossing from the southeastern coast to cultivate land, leading to settlements at ports where temples were commonly built. Therefore, many ports feature Mazu temples facing across the river towards the mountains, hoping to protect every fisherman and immigrant crossing the sea. At the entrance on the dragon side of the temple, there is an ancient bell, which indicates that during the Qing Dynasty, the temple was named "Xinxing Temple," cast in 1792 (the 57th year of Qianlong) in Wuxi, Jiangsu. On the tiger side of the entrance stands a "Eight Immortals Incense Burner Hall," originally part of Xinxing Temple's altar, carved by a master from Tangshan in 1820. Since 1973, monks from Kōyasan Kongōbu-ji and the Tokyo branch have been sending high-ranking monks to conduct pilgrimage ceremonies at Taipei Tianhou Temple from October to December each year. The main deity of Taipei Tianhou Temple is Mazu, and the accompanying deity is Kōbō Daishi. Taipei Tianhou Temple is the only temple in Taiwan that enshrines Kōbō Daishi, attracting numerous Japanese tourists who come specifically to pay their respects.
