Klenteng Soei Goeat Kiong (Chandra Nadi), Palembang巨港水月宫

Type

Overseas Daoist Temples

Location

Indonesia · South Sumatra province · Palembang · Jalan Perikanan, 10 Ulu, Seberang Ulu I, Palembang (south bank of the Musi River).

First built

1733 · The temple's own history gives 1733; the exact year remains unconfirmed.

Heritage status

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

Overview

Soei Goeat Kiong (Klenteng Chandra Nadi) stands on the south bank of the Musi River in Palembang; the temple's own history holds it was built in 1733, and it is generally regarded as the oldest Chinese temple in South Sumatra. It is dedicated primarily to Guanyin, with Tianshang Shengmu (Mazu), Fude Zhengshen (the Earth God) and Guandi worshipped alongside. Palembang has been an important Sumatran port city since the era of Srivijaya, with a long history of Chinese settlement; riverside stilt-house settlements together with the temple form a distinctive landscape. During the Suharto era the temple was reregistered as a Buddhist vihara, reverting to its Chinese temple name after 2000. It has been repaired several times; the surviving building is a modern reconstruction, mainly in Hokkien-style roof ridges and painted decoration. The founding year lacks independent documentary support; this entry gives the temple's own account alongside a note that it remains unconfirmed.

Highlights

• The oldest Chinese temple in South Sumatra (the temple's account gives 1733)
• On the south bank of the Musi River, dedicated primarily to Guanyin
• Known in Indonesian as Klenteng Chandra Nadi
• Palembang has been an important port city since the era of Srivijaya, with long-settled Chinese communities
• Founding year unconfirmed