Taiwan’s folk culture is very rich, with a variety of characteristic temple buildings, which not only become the unique beauty of Taiwan, but also one of the favorite attractions of foreign tourists. The Tianliao Cixuan Holy Heavenly Palace in Tianliao, Kaohsiung, is also known as the “The Stone Temple” because the whole temple is covered with stones and shells from inside to outside.
The temple building is very solemn and beautiful, and there is a pair of golden dragon large fountain sculptures in front of the temple. Along the road, you can see many solemn statues of Dharma, from the wall to the stone column and the ceiling, which are made of stones and shells. The special shape is like a land dragon palace, and the whole temple is like a huge artwork.
The whole temple looks like a huge artwork.
The story behind the stone temple
Behind this temple, there is a touching story. More than 20 years ago, the engineering company that contracted the South Second High School collapsed, and 500 Thai migrant workers were losing work and fell into trouble. They also had no money to return to the country and went to the streets. So the abbot provided them with food and accommodation free of charge. These friends volunteered to help build in order to thank the abbot for his kind reception. Together, they picked up and collected a lot of stones, shells, and so on, and worked together to build stone by stone. After that, local volunteers completed the internal work. It took 12 years to build the stone temple.
From the wall to the stone column and ceiling, it is covering with stone and shell.
Along the way, we can see many sacred Quan yin statue. Here we can see a row of solemn and sacred statues of Avalokitesvara.
On the south side of the front hall, there is a Cixuan Cultural Relics Museum, which is a free visit. It mainly collects many early rural living utensils, antiques, etc.
In addition to enjoying the special stone temple, there are also many interesting scenic spots nearby, including the Eye of Gangshan, fertile hills, Agongdian Reservoir and Moon World. If you have more time, you can also arrange a tour of nearby scenic spots.
