Tian Hou Gong Temple (Chinese: 天后宮; Pinyin: Tiān Hòu Gōng; Hokkien, Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Thian Hō͘ Kiong) (also called as Tian Hou, Tien Hou Kong or Heavenly Empress Temple)[2] is a Chinese temple situated in Jalan Balik Bukit in the north of the Chinatown of Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia.[3]
History
The temple are established by early Hainanese settlers in a small structure to worship their sea deity of Shui Wei Sheng Niang which is said found in a junk which was shipwrecked in Terengganu.[4] Apart from another temple in the Chinese settlement, the temple served as a focal point for their fishermen and their families who lived along the banks of the Terengganu River.[1] It also become forerunner of the Hainanese Association (Qiongzhou Huiguan).[4] The temple building was then constructed in 1895 for both devotees and the association.[4] Most of its structure were constructed with materials brought in from China with the building are completed the following year.[1]
In 2003, the temple land was nearly acquire by the state government of Terengganu under the administration of Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) for waterfront beautification project but was reversed following huge protest from the local residents.[5][6]
Features
The temple feature three altars in its main hall with two ancestral tablets dedicated to wandering souls and 108 brave villagers who lost their lives during a war since time immemorial.[1] The statues of Mazu and Shui Wei Sheng Niang occupies the central altar while in the right is devoted to Guan Yu and Fude Zhengshen.[1][6]
