Vihara Gunung Timur, Medan棉兰东岳观
- Type
- Overseas Daoist Temples
- Location
- Indonesia · North Sumatra province · Medan · Jalan Hang Tuah No. 16, Medan Petisah, beside the Babura River
- Coordinates
- 3.5806, 98.6698 Map ↗
- First built
- 1962 · Construction began in 1960 and the temple was completed in 1962; there is also an account of an earlier structure from the 1930s
Overview
Vihara Gunung Timur (whose Indonesian name means 'Eastern Mountain Temple,' corresponding to the Chinese 'Dongyue,' the Eastern Peak) is the largest Chinese Daoist temple in Medan and indeed in all of Sumatra. Construction began in 1960 and the temple was completed in 1962, though there is also an account of an earlier structure from the 1930s. The temple stands beside the Babura River, partly encircled by canals and walls, occupying an extensive site with a grand main hall; it houses around eighty deity images, including the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak, the Jade Emperor, the Three Pure Ones, Guandi, Guanyin, and other Buddhist and Daoist deities. The Chinese of Medan are mainly of Hokkien (Zhangzhou–Quanzhou), Hakka, and Chaozhou descent, and many were engaged in tobacco and rubber plantations and trade. Although this temple is registered under Indonesian law as a Buddhist vihara, its name, principal deity, and ritual practices all clearly point to the Daoist worship of the Eastern Peak, making it one of the few temples in Indonesia that can be fairly clearly classified as Daoist. Worshippers throng the temple during the Lunar New Year and the Lantern Festival.
Highlights
- The largest Chinese Daoist temple in Medan and all of Sumatra
- Construction began in 1960 and was completed in 1962; stands beside the Babura River
- About eighty deity images in the temple, including the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak, the Jade Emperor, and the Three Pure Ones
- One of the few temples in Indonesia that can be fairly clearly classified as Daoist
- Legally registered as a Buddhist vihara