Boen San Bio (Vihara Nimmala), Tangerang丹格朗文山庙
- Type
- Overseas Daoist Temples
- Location
- Indonesia · Banten · Tangerang · Jalan KS Tubun, Pasar Baru, Tangerang
- First built
- c. 1689 · Temple tradition dates it to 1689; the exact year lacks independent documentary support
- Heritage status
- Listed as a Cultural Heritage Site (Cagar Budaya) of Tangerang City
Overview
Boen San Bio is the second-oldest Chinese temple in Tangerang; temple tradition holds that it was founded around 1689, though this lacks independent documentary support. It is dedicated principally to Fude Zhengshen (Hok Tek Tjeng Sin), with subsidiary worship of Guanyin, Guandi, and Mazu. During the Suharto era it was, as required, re-registered as a Buddhist vihara under the legal name Vihara Nimmala; after 2000 the Chinese temple name was restored for concurrent use. The temple preserves Qing-dynasty plaques, incense burners, and several stone steles; a stage stands before the temple, where Chaozhou opera or puppet theater (wayang potehi, the localized Javanese form of Hokkien glove-puppetry) is performed to honor the gods during the Lantern Festival and deity birthdays. Boen San Bio and Boen Tek Bio are together the core sites of the Cina Benteng community, and the division of ritual duties and the rotation system between the two temples form the organizational backbone of Tangerang's Chinese society. It is a Chinese popular-religion temple, though legally registered as a Buddhist monastery.
Highlights
- The second-oldest Chinese temple in Tangerang (temple tradition dates it to 1689)
- Dedicated principally to Fude Zhengshen, with subsidiary worship of Guanyin, Guandi, and Mazu
- Legal name Vihara Nimmala, registered as a Buddhist monastery
- A stage before the temple hosts puppet theater (wayang potehi) performances to honor the gods
- Together with Boen Tek Bio forms the organizational backbone of the Cina Benteng community