A public vihara: Palmerah's Buddhist temple<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): For old Jakartans the Buddhist temple in
\nPalmerah is no strange sight, but nobody knows who built it.<\/p>\n
No wonder people call it a public temple, said Koh Bun Tek,
\n65, an employee of the temple.<\/p>\n
\"Nobody calls the temple a public temple though, but nobody
\nknows the history of the building. No one knows who really owns
\nthe temple. One thing people are sure of is that this building
\nhas been here for more than a decade,\" Bun Tek said.<\/p>\n
The temple, also known as a vihara, is named Vihara Dharma
\nBhakti, a name that sounds familiar to locals as all Buddhist
\ntemples managed by Dharma Bhakti foundation are named after the
\nfoundation.<\/p>\n
\"The foundation actually has never been officially set up.
\nMembers of the foundation board of founders are all volunteers,\"
\nhe told the Jakarta Post<\/p>\n
The temple located in the center of Jl. Palmerah Barat, right
\nbehind the new Palmerah marketplace, has been renovated many
\ntimes. The biggest renovation was in 1973.<\/p>\n
The original building was only small until a businessman
\ndonated funds to renovate it in 1973, Bun Tek said.<\/p>\n
Bun Tek refused to identify the businessman or reveal the
\namount of money used for the renovation.<\/p>\n
The vihara building now measures 150 square meters with a
\nfront yard of about 100 square meters.<\/p>\n
The temple has one large main praying room and two small
\npraying rooms, yolo (the front building), and a room for keeping
\ncandles and so on.<\/p>\n
A statue of Buddha and other statues of gods and goddesses
\n(such as Kwan Im and Kwan Bo) are placed in the main praying
\nroom.<\/p>\n
Three big wooden donation boxes are placed in the left wing.<\/p>\n
Time has changed. And the surrounding of the temple which was
\nprobably sacred and clean 100 years ago, is now crowded with
\nvendors.<\/p>\n
Like other traditional marketplaces in the capital, the
\nPalmerah market, where the temple stands, is dirty and smelly and
\nthe road becomes muddy when it rains.<\/p>\n
\"This condition has apparently made worshipers reluctant to go
\nto the vihara,\" Bun Tek said. \"It is difficult for anyone to park
\ntheir car around the temple, which has only a 100 sq.m. yard,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"Only four or five people, who have emotional links to the
\ntemple, come to prayer here every day,\" he added. He said it's
\ndifficult to describe emotional links with words.<\/p>\n
People also come to prayer in the beginning of the month and
\non a full moon, he said.<\/p>\n
Bun Tek said the members of the temple used to play tai chi
\n(Chinese system of exercise) in the front yard of the temple and
\nplay keroncong music. Keroncong is a very popular local
\nPortuguese-influenced music.<\/p>\n
Bun Tek, a father of four children and grandfather of four,
\nlives at the temple. His wife and two of their children live in
\nKebayoran Lama, South Jakarta. He goes home once every three
\nmonths.<\/p>\n
He cleans the temple and opens it at 6 a.m. and closes it at 9
\np.m. every day. He earns Rp 150,000 (US$65) a month at the
\ntemple. \"Sometimes I get some Rp 500 to Rp 1,000 from each
\nvisitor,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Bun Tek was a garment vendor 15 years ago. He decided to take
\ncare of the temple after his business went bankrupt.<\/p>\n
He said that the job does not offer him much money. \"I'd
\nbetter become a shopkeeper if I want more money. My salary from
\nthe temple is enough only for food,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Besides Bun Tek, the vihara employs Koh A Nyan, 60, and An
\nCen, 40. A Nyan has been working there since last year and An Cen
\nstarted working there five months ago.<\/p>\n
They also get Rp 150,000 a month each.<\/p>\n
The temple usually becomes busy at Chinese New Year. At least
\n50 pairs of extra large red candles (1.5 meters tall and 25
\ncentimeters in diameter) stand in front of the vihara for eve of
\nImlek (Chinese New Year). The New Year is today.<\/p>\n
The candles cost between Rp 50,000 to Rp 100,000 each and show
\nthat about 50 families will pray on Imlek eve.<\/p>\n
Bun Tek said that the families come from Jakarta, Bogor and
\nBandung. \"They pray here every year. Maybe they used to live near
\nthe temple,\" he added.<\/p>\n
However, Bun Tek said the Imlek eve prayers in the Palmerah
\ntemple is usually not as festive as those at other temples, such
\nas at the city's biggest Buddhist temple, Petak Sembilan in
\nGlodok, West Jakarta.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-public-vihara-palmerahs-buddhist-temple-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}