The only zhaitang (齋堂), or fasting hall, of the Zhaijiao (齋教) folk religion in Donggang, Pingtung. It is the southernmost and largest surviving hall of the Xiantian (先天) branch of the religion in Taiwan. The complex began as a thatched meditation retreat built by an anonymous ascetic in 1873 and was first expanded into a proper brick hall in 1917. The two-story Mahāvīra Hall (大雄寶殿) was completed in 1926 and can still be found at the back of the complex, repurposed as a scripture library. The current three-storey front hall dates from a reconstruction completed in 1995.
Map
Links
- Wikipedia in Chinese (中文維基百科)
Themes
- Temple Culture in Taiwan (台灣的寺廟文化)
- Zhaijiao in Taiwan (台灣齋教)
Nearby Locations
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Author
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I am a web application developer, photojournalist, urban explorer, and history enthusiast passionate about the open web and documenting my experiences on this planet. This project was founded in the early 2010s and has evolved into a sort of personal Wikipedia of places that interest me (and often the photographs I’ve taken there). I’m originally from Toronto, Canada, but spend most of my time residing in Taiwan.