Tow Boo Keong (Nine Emperor Gods Temple), Penang槟城斗母宫（九皇爷庙）
- Type
- Overseas Daoist Temples
- Location
- Malaysia · Penang (state) · George Town · In the vicinity of Jalan Macalister
- First built
- Late 19th century · The exact founding date is disputed, generally traced to the late nineteenth century, when Teochew or Hokkien devotees established a branch shrine from southern Thailand/Siam
Overview
Tow Boo Keong in Penang is principally dedicated to Doumu Yuanjun (the Dipper Mother) and the Nine Emperor Gods, and is a major center of the Nine Emperor Gods cult in northern Malaysia. The cult of the Nine Emperor Gods derives from the Daoist worship of the nine stars of the Northern Dipper, and spread through the Southern Fujian and Teochew coastal regions and the overseas Chinese communities of Siam to form, across the Malay Peninsula and southern Thailand, the annual 'Nine Emperor Vegetarian Festival' (Nine Emperor Gods Festival) held from the first to the ninth day of the ninth lunar month: devotees observe a vegetarian fast, dress in white, and erect lantern poles for the Nine Emperors; the gods are welcomed at the water's edge on the first day and sent off on the ninth, with rites such as fire-walking and climbing a ladder of blades. Accounts of the temple's founding date vary, but it is generally traced to the late nineteenth century, when Teochew or Hokkien devotees established a branch shrine from southern Thailand. Among the various deity cults of Southeast Asian Chinese communities, the Nine Emperor Gods cult is the one most directly linked to Daoist star worship, though its ritual practice has been deeply shaped by local spirit-medium (tang-ki) culture and differs from the ritual system of Chinese institutional Daoism, placing it within the realm of popular religion.
Highlights
- A major center of the Nine Emperor Gods cult in northern Malaysia
- Principally dedicated to Doumu Yuanjun and the Nine Emperor Gods
- Holds the Nine Emperor Vegetarian Festival annually from the first to the ninth day of the ninth lunar month
- Rites include erecting lantern poles, welcoming and sending off the gods, fire-walking, and climbing a ladder of blades
- Derives from Daoist worship of the nine stars of the Northern Dipper, spread through overseas Chinese communities in Siam