Sam Poo Kong (), also known as Gedung Batu Temple, is the oldest

Chinese temple Chinese temple architecture refer to a type of structures used as place of worship of Chinese Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, or Chinese folk religion, where people revere ethnic Chinese gods and ancestors. They can be classified as: * '' mi� ...

Semarang Semarang (Javanese script, Javanese: , ''Kutha Semarang'') is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Netherlands, Dutch Dutch East Indies, colonial era, and is still an important regio ...

Central Java Central Java (, ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogya ...

, Indonesia. Originally established by the Chinese explorer

Zheng He Zheng He (also romanized Cheng Ho; 1371–1433/1435) was a Chinese eunuch, admiral and diplomat from the early Ming dynasty, who is often regarded as the greatest admiral in History of China, Chinese history. Born into a Muslims, Muslim famil ...

(also known as Ma Sanbao), it is now shared by Indonesians of multiple religious denominations, including

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and

Buddhists Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It is the world's fourth ...

, and ethnicities, including Chinese and Javanese.

History

The foundations of Sam Poo Kong were set when Chinese Muslim explorer Admiral

arrived in the western part of what is now

via the Garang River; the year is disputed, with suggestions ranging from 1400 to 1416. After disembarking from his ships, Zheng found a cave in a rocky hillside and used it for

prayer File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

. He established a small temple before leaving Java but, having grown fond of the area, his deputy Wang Jing and several crewmen remained behind. A statuette of Zheng was installed in the cave. The original temple was reportedly destroyed in 1704, collapsing under a landslide. In October 1724 the temple was completely renovated. A new cave was made, next to the old one. In the middle of the 1800s Sam Poo Kong was owned by a Mr. Johanes, a landlord of Jewish descent, who charged devotees for the right to pray at the temple. Unable to pay individual fees, the Chinese community spent 2000 gulden yearly to keep the temple open; this was later reduced to 500 gulden after worshipers complained of the expense. As this was still a heavy burden, devotees abandoned Sam Poo Kong and found a statue of Zheng He to bring to Tay Kak Sie Temple, away, where they could pray freely. In 1879, Oei Tjie Sien, a prominent local businessman, bought the Sam Poo Kong complex and made its use free of charge; in response, local Chinese celebrated by holding a carnival and began returning to Sam Poo Kong. The temple's ownership was transferred to the recently founded Sam Poo Kong foundation in 1924. The temple received another full renovation in 1937. After the Japanese invasion of the Indies, the Japanese command installed electricity and provided the temple with a framed written appraisal for Zheng He. During five years of

revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

after the Japanese left the newly independent Indonesia, the temple was poorly maintained and fell into disrepair. In 1950, Sam Poo Kong was again renovated. However, beginning in the 1960s increased political instability led to its being neglected again. From 2002 to 2005 it underwent another major renovation.

Layout

The Sam Poo Kong complex includes five temples in a mixed Chinese and Javanese architectural style. The temples are Sam Poo Kong (the oldest), Tho Tee Kong, Kyai Juru Mudi Temple, Kyai Jangkar Temple, and Kyai Cundrik Bumi Temple. An additional worship site, Mbah Kyai Tumpeng, is in the complex. The buildings are spread over . Tho Tee Kong (also known as Dewa Bumi Temple), is just within the large gate at the northern end of the complex; it is used by those who seek the blessings of the earth god

Tu Di Gong A Tudigong ( zh, s=土地公, l=Lord of the Land) is a kind of Chinese tutelary deity of a specific location. There are several Tudigongs corresponding to different geographical locations and sometimes multiple ones will be venerated together in ...

. Next to Tho Tee Kong is Kyai Juru Mudi Temple, the burial site of Wang Jing Hong, one of Zheng He's deputies. It is often frequented by people looking for success in business. The main temple is built directly in front of the cave, south of Kyai Juru Mudi. In the cave are an altar, fortune-telling equipment, and a small statue of Zheng He. Underneath the altar is a well that is said to never go dry and to be capable of healing various ailments. Before the 2002 renovations, the temple measured . It now measures . Further south is the Kyai Jankar Temple, named after a sacred anchor used by Zheng He which is held inside. The temple contains an altar to Zheng's crewmen who died while fulfilling their duties. The southernmost temple is Kyai Cundrik Bumi, which is used to worship a weapon used by Zheng. Nearby is Mbah Kyai Tumpeng, a prayer site used by people wishing for their well-being.

Carnival

Every lunar year on the 30th day of the sixth month, the anniversary of Zheng He's arrival in Semarang, Chinese Indonesians parade statues of Zheng He, Lauw In, and Thio Ke from Tay Kak Sie to Sam Poo Kong. Started after Sam Poo Kong again became free to use, the carnival is meant to show respect to the explorers.

Entertainment events

*1 September 2019 -

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References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography * * * * * *

External links

Potential Shrine of "Sam Poo Kong" as a Cultural Tourism Asset Semarang
{{Family of Majoor Oei Tiong Ham Temples in Indonesia Taoist temples in Indonesia Landmarks in Indonesia Buildings and structures in Semarang 15th-century religious buildings and structures in Asia Religious buildings and structures completed in 1724 1724 establishments in Asia