Vihara Satya Budhi (Klenteng Hiap Thian Kiong), Bandung万隆协天宫

Type

Overseas Daoist Temples

Location

Indonesia · West Java Province · Bandung · Jalan Kelenteng No.10, Bandung

First built

1885 · Built in 1885; received visiting delegates from participating countries during the 1955 Bandung Asian-African Conference

Heritage status

Listed as a Cagar Budaya (Cultural Heritage Site) of Bandung city

Overview

Vihara Satya Budhi (Klenteng Hiap Thian Kiong) was built in 1885, and is Bandung's oldest and largest Chinese temple. Its name "Xietian" (Hiap Thian) derives from Lord Guan's honorific title "Great Emperor Who Assists Heaven" (Xietian Dadi); it is dedicated principally to Guandi, with subsidiary worship of Guanyin, Mazu, and Fude Zhengshen. The building is a three-courtyard Hokkien-style complex, with well-preserved cut-porcelain roof ridges and painted beams, and flagpoles and stone lions stand before the temple. During the Suharto era it was re-registered as a Buddhist vihara under the legal name Vihara Satya Budhi. During the 1955 Bandung Asian-African Conference, the temple received visiting delegates from participating countries, making it an important site for the public image of Bandung's Chinese community. After 2000 the Chinese temple name was restored for concurrent use. The temple is now registered under Indonesian law as a Buddhist monastery, though its actual worship is dominated by popular deities. Guandi's birthday and the Lantern Festival are the temple's major annual festivals.

Highlights

• Built in 1885, Bandung's oldest and largest Chinese temple
• Dedicated principally to Guandi (as the Great Emperor Who Assists Heaven), with subsidiary worship of Guanyin and Mazu
• A three-courtyard Hokkien-style complex, with well-preserved cut-porcelain work and painted decoration
• Received delegates from participating countries during the 1955 Bandung Asian-African Conference
• Legal name Vihara Satya Budhi