Temple gears up for Imlek

Temple gears up for Imlek

Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang

The three-story roofs looked elegant, even though several
buildings on the right and left were not yet completed and the
tiles were not yet in place. But the main pillars, 75 cm wide,
had been beautifully carved with dragons.

The main building of the Sam Poo Kong Temple in Semarang has
been under renovation for the last two years.

Before the renovation, undertaken by the Sam Poo Kong
Foundation under Priambudi Setiakusuma, the main building, which
is a holy cave and a house of worship, was only 16x16 meters in
size, but now it is a much more spacious 34x34 meters.

On entering the big hall, visitors to the temple see 10 carved
ornaments on a six-meter high wall that describes the journey of
Admiral Cheng Ho, ambassador of Emperor Yung Lo of the Ming
Dynasty that ruled China from 1368 to 1643. Cheng Ho traveled to
Southeast Asia, South Asia and the African coast in 1404-1425.

"Under the ornaments there will be a commentary written in
Indonesian, English and Chinese describing Cheng Ho's journey for
visitors," said deputy of the renovation project, Hartaya Budi
Harsana.

Head of the project, Ganda Wijaya, said the renovations would
eventually cover all buildings in the 3.2-hectare site.

"When this project will finish, I can't predict. But if the
money is there, we'll keep on working. The money comes from
donations in Indonesia. There are also some Chinese people in
China who helped with tiles for the main building. The tiles are
ready to be placed on the roof," he said.

Once completed, the area will have an amphitheater, man-made
lake, parks, food courts. It may well be the biggest temple in
Southeast Asia, serving not only as a place of worship but also
as a tourism asset.

In August, the temple will commemorate Cheng Ho's arrival in
the city. One of his legacies is a water source that never runs
dry, located right under the main temple building.

Balinese carvers were assigned to create carvings on the main
pillars and the walls. Ganda Wijaya said he toured China for two
months to learn about carving styles at various temples there.

At the Sam Poo Kong Temple, visitors were not only those of
Chinese descent, who often crowd the temple during Chinese
celebrations such the Lunar New Year, but also local people, who
come to the temple the night of Kliwon. Kliwon is the name of a
day in the 5-day Javanese week.

"Many local people come here to ask for blessings. They
usually get what they ask for. They come from Klaten, Brebes and
as far as Purwokerto," said Darwinto, a local resident.

Whereas in other temples visitors usually bring incense to
pray, at the Sam Poo Kong Temple some visitors also bring
flowers.

"Javanese visitors pray their own way. But usually, when they
get rich, they come back here to hold a thanksgiving party," said
Maryuni, a flower seller.

Tee Han Kiat, a Semarang resident, has his own hopes for the
ongoing renovation project.

"With the renovation, the temple will become tourism asset,
not only locally but also internationally," he said.