Klenteng Ling Gwan Kiong, Singaraja, Bali新加拉惹灵源宫
- Type
- Overseas Daoist Temples
- Location
- Indonesia · Bali province · Singaraja, Buleleng · Jalan Erlangga, near the old port of Buleleng.
- First built
- 1873 · Built in 1873 in the old harbor district of Singaraja.
- Heritage status
- Listed as a Cagar Budaya (Cultural Heritage Site) of Buleleng Regency
Overview
Ling Gwan Kiong, built in 1873, stands in the old harbor district of Singaraja in northern Bali, and is one of the most important Chinese temples on the island. During the Dutch colonial period Singaraja was the capital and main port of Bali, and Chinese merchants settled there. The temple is dedicated primarily to Tianshang Shengmu (Mazu), with Guanyin and Fude Zhengshen worshipped alongside. Its most notable architectural feature is the fusion of Hokkien-style layout with Balinese Hindu-style decoration: the stone carving of the temple gate, the patterning of its enclosing walls, and some of its components use traditional Balinese stonework techniques and motifs set alongside Chinese-style cut-porcelain roof ridges, a clear example of the localization of Chinese architecture in Bali. The Chinese population of Bali is small and has long intermarried with the Balinese; some families observe both Chinese and Balinese Hindu rites. The temple is now registered under Indonesian law within the Tridharma temple system. Bali also has other Chinese temples, including Vihara Dharmayana in Kuta and Caow Eng Bio in Tanjung Benoa.
Highlights
- Built in 1873, one of the most important Chinese temples in Bali
- Dedicated primarily to Tianshang Shengmu, in the old port district of Bali's Dutch-era capital
- Fuses Hokkien-style layout with Balinese Hindu-style stone carving and decoration
- Bali's Chinese have long intermarried locally; some families observe both sets of rites
- Now registered within the Tridharma temple system