Grand Mazu Temple

The Grand Mazu Temple is the first Mazu temple to be built by the government in Taiwan. Dedicated to the most commonly worshipped god in Taiwan, Mazu, the patron deity of fisherman, this temple is especially lively on the 23rd day of the third lunar month, when Mazu celebrates her birthday. It is unsurprising that Mazu would be so much worshipped in Taiwan. As the goddess of the sea, she is thought to bring protection to the Taiwanese, whose small island is surrounded by the ocean. And among the 400 to 500 Mazu temples in Taiwan, this one is definitely the most frequented. It is also that with the highest status, because at the time it was dedicated to become a temple, Mazu was beginning to rise in importance. Therefore, this temple is the first be called Tianhou (Heavenly Goddess) instead of Tianfei (Heavenly Princess). Originally the palace of The Prince of Ningjing (Zhu Shugui) after Koxinga’s son, Zheng Jing, had it built for him during the Ming dynasty, this place is full of history. Indeed, the 300 year old huge statue of Mazu defines this temple, and is generally the feature of most interest to tourists. As one of the largest temples in Tainan there is much to explore here.