Da Tian Hou Gong, A Sanctuary of Maritime Spirituality

No. 18, Lane 227, Section 2, Yongfu Road, Zhongxi District, Tainan City

There are many temples in Taiwan

4.3

Introduction

Daitianhou Temple, commonly known as "Grandma Mazu Temple", is the first official Mazu temple in Taiwan, located in a small alley in Wu Temple. The original building was not a temple, but part of the Ningjing Wang Mansion in the Ming Dynasty. After the South Ming Guiwang assumed the throne, Ningjing Wang was appointed as the "Supervisor" of Zheng Chenggong. In 1663, Zheng Chenggong passed away, and his successor Zheng Jing built the Ningjing Wang Mansion at the current location of Daitianhou Temple to maintain the legitimacy of the Ming Dynasty. In 1681, after Zheng Jing's death, Zheng Kezan inherited the throne but surrendered to the Qing Dynasty in 1683 after the capture of Taiwan by Shi Lang, losing the protection of the Ningjing Wang family who committed suicide. The Ningjing Wang Mansion was later converted into the Dongning Tianfei Temple and underwent several renovations, becoming a temple mainly dedicated to the Golden-faced Mazu. The main hall of the temple is dedicated to the spirit tablets of Ningjing Wang, Heavenly Mother Mazu, her parents, and siblings, as well as the Wenchang Emperor and San Guan Dadi as accompanying deities. Every year on the 23rd day of the third lunar month, Daitianhou Temple holds a grand Mazu Festival, which is one of the important folk activities in Taiwan. In 1985, the Ministry of the Interior designated Daitianhou Temple as a first-class historical site in the Taiwan-Fujian region.