天后宮 Grand Mazu Temple

All Taiwanese know this sacred temple, with its extremely sophisticated and brilliant architecture...

Temples architecture was amazing, loved looking at all the details put into the building; the ceiling had really incredible details!

Beautiful temple in a lovely neighborhood.

nice place

The Grand Mazu Temple was originally the palace of the Southern Ming prince Zhu Shugui (朱術桂), constructed for him near Chikan Tower by the Tungning king Zheng Jing in 1664.nnDedicated to the most commonly worshipped god in Taiwan, Mazu, the patron deity of fisherman, this temple is especially lively on the 23rd day of the third lunar month, when Mazu celebrates her birthday.nnIt is unsurprising that Mazu would be so much worshipped in Taiwan. As the goddess of the sea, she is thought to bring protection to the Taiwanese, whose small island is surrounded by the ocean. And among the 400 to 500 Mazu temples in Taiwan, this one is definitely the most frequented.nnIt is also that with the highest status, because at the time it was dedicated to become a temple, Mazu was beginning to rise in importance. Therefore, this temple is the first be called Tianhou (Heavenly Goddess) instead of Tianfei (Heavenly Princess).nnOriginally the palace of The Prince of Ningjing (Zhu Shugui) after Koxinga’s son, Zheng Jing, had it built for him during the Ming dynasty, this place is full of history. Indeed, the 300 year old huge statue of Mazu defines this temple, and is generally the feature of most interest to tourists. As one of the largest temples in Tainan there is much to explore here.