Jiantan Temple Introduction
Jiantan has a legendary story. It is said that Koxinga once led his troops past this pond, where water monsters akin to dragons stirred up trouble and harmed many. Koxinga threw his treasured sword into the pond to subdue the water beast, and from then on, the water remained calm, thus the pond became known as "Jiantan." According to the "Taiwan Prefectural Gazetteer," Jiantan Temple, also known as Guanyin Temple, is located in Bazhilin Jiantan. The Tamsui Office Gazetteer records that "Jiantan Temple was built in the 38th year of the Qianlong reign by Wu Ting-hao and others." There is an inscription describing how a monk named Ronghua encountered a snake blocking his path and used divination to determine auspiciousness. The result was very auspicious, leading to the establishment of the temple here. Later, the Wei-yi Guanyin appeared in a dream, indicating that eight boats would pass from Shanghai to Keelung, which would help raise funds for the temple; indeed, this came true, and Jiantan Temple was established. Therefore, it should have a history of over 350 years. However, during the later period of Japanese rule, it was forcibly moved to its current location in Dazhi. Before entering the temple, there is a paifang, and under the green-tiled roof, the words "Jiantan Old Temple" are inscribed. The small alley inside is the original site of Jiantan Old Temple, and among this grove, remnants of the old temple's pillars and stone tablets are preserved, with many traces on the pillars depicting segments of history that evoke a strong sense of historical significance.
