About

Nearly every Wangye temple in Taiwan traces its roots back to one place — Nankunshen Daitian Temple in Beimen, Tainan, where branch temples return to 'pay respects to the ancestor.' It is, quite literally, the head temple of Wangye (Royal Lords) worship in Taiwan. This National Monument enshrines the Five Royal Lords — Lords Li, Chi, Wu, Zhu, and Fan — and holds a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide. The grounds are vast: the towering Lingxiao Treasure Hall stands on one side, the Jiangnan-style 'Da Kun Garden' on the other, every surface alive with master cut-porcelain, stone carving, and painting — no wonder it has been called a 'museum of traditional Taiwanese architecture.' When the pilgrimage season arrives on the Royal Lords' birthday, the drums and gongs of hundreds of branch temples' processions come pouring back to the mother temple — one of the most spectacular religious sights in southern Taiwan.

History

The story begins in 1661, around the time Koxinga arrived in Taiwan, making this one of the oldest Wangye temples on the island. Its most legendary chapter is the 'contest of magic' between the Five Royal Lords and the 'Child Lord' (Gina Gong) of the neighboring Wanshan Hall — the two sides fought over the same auspicious plot of land until, unable to prevail against each other, they struck a pact to share the incense offerings, and to this day both stand side by side on the site. Through repeated Qing-dynasty expansions and large-scale renovation in the Japanese era, the temple grew ever grander. Every year in the late fourth lunar month, the 'Nankunshen Grand Temple Fair' draws around a million worshippers — the largest Wangye festival in Taiwan. In 2012 it was registered as a National Monument, and its Koji pottery, wood carving, and stone work remain a must-see for lovers of traditional craft.

Nankunshen Daitian Temple

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