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Nan-kan Shieh of the Pinbu indigenous tribe used
to reside in the area near Fu-tou Mountain, Wu-fu
Village, Lu-ju Shiang. This area was the earliest
settled area in Taoyuan County. According to legend,
when Koxinga led his army to fight in northern
Taiwan in the 16th year of Emperor Yung-li's reign
(1661), his army was stationed here. His soldiers
brought holy relics of Marshall Shien-tan with
them, but forgot them in the camp. Then people
discovered light emanating from this place. They
believed it indicated the presence of a god, so
they built a simple structure on the spot and
worshiped there. Over time, more and more pilgrims
came to pay their respects.
This temple wasn't built until the 10th year
of Emperor Chien-lung. The temple was first named
Shien-tan Temple or Marshall Temple. Marshall
Shien-tan refers to Gon-ming Chao, a loyal vassal
during the Shang Dynasty. People respected him
and called him Marshall Shien-tan Marshall. This
area was prosperous owing to the god's blessing,
so people called him Marshall Kai-tai (literally
translated as Development of Taiwan).
This temple underwent renovations several times
and became larger and larger each time. After
reconstruction in the 6th year of Emperor Tung-chi
Emperor (1867), this temple was named Wu-fu (literally
translated as Five Fortunes) Temple. Sen-ji Pavilion
was erected at the same time to promote literacy.
This temple was last renovated in 1924. Now the
temple is 3-rooms wide at the front and has three
main buildings and two patios. Its wooden construction,
woodcarvings, stone carvings, and Indochina pottery
are marvelous. You may like to study it thoroughly.
This temple has
a long history and is classified as a grade three
ancient site. It is now being repaired. It will
be opened again in the near future.
The Sen-ji Pavilion in front of the temple is
a 2-story building made of bricks. The opening
of the furnace is on the bottom level. On both
sides of the building are the stone tablets bearing
the donors' names. There is a "Messenger's
Cave" in the back hall. There are a lot of
big snakes in the cave known as "heavenly
snakes". People feed the snakes with eggs.
The temple sponsors a parade on March 15 and birthday
celebration for the master god on the 16th. These
celebrations are fabulous activities for the temple.
The temple also sponsors evidence ghost-month
celebration on July 15, and floating lantern on
the 14th, to be hosted by five major villages
of Lu-ju Shiang. The activities are fabulous.
Visitors are welcome to join the celebrations. |