Not Losing Their Religion
How many people know there’s an Indonesian god at Jakarta’s oldest Chinese temple? along with who knew the city’s oldest church was originally built for slaves, who were freed in exchange for changing their religion?
Most Jakarta residents probably neither know nor care much about the old houses of worship of minority religions. Yet these places provide fascinating links to the past along with are worth a visit for anyone seeking a spiritual change of scene through the monotony of the city’s modern monuments to consumerism.
Koan Im Temple was razed to the ground in October 1740 when the Dutch quelled a rebellion by massacring most of the approximately 11,000 Chinese residents of Batavia. This specific ethnic cleansing of the city’s mercantile class caused a recession, which was only overcome when more Chinese were enticed to the area by the prospect of profit. Fifteen years after its destruction, the temple was rebuilt in 1775 by Chinese captain Oei Tjhie, who renamed the idea Kim Tek Yi (Temple of Golden Virtue) to signify which people should focus more on goodness than materialism.
The temple’s common name in Mandarin can be Jin De Yuan along with the idea can be currently visited by over 100 people each day, mostly followers of Buddhism, Taoism along with Confucianism, as well as a few tourists. Historical attraction aside, the temple can be a haven of peaceful open space, covering some 3,000 square meters, along with has colourful iconography rarely seen in Jakarta. There are 24 altar stations along with more than 50 statues of deities. Beneath one of the long-bearded deities can be an intriguing placard bearing the words: “Typically Indonesian Local God”. This specific particular deity was a real person, born Kwee Lak Kwa within the Central Java city of Semarang in 1695. After the 1740 massacre, Kwee was among the leaders of a Chinese guerrilla war against the Dutch yet he disappeared near the northern coastal town of Tegal after the rebellion faltered in 1742. He was reputedly killed along with two Javanese aides while fighting the Dutch on the island of Karang Jeruk, although legend has the idea which his boat was attacked by pirates or Dutchmen off Tegal along with he escaped by walking on water. Tales soon emerged which he had obtained supernatural powers along with was helping fishermen. An emperor of the Qing Dynasty bestowed upon Kwee the title of Tek Hai Cin Jin (Guardian God of Sea Trade). There are statues of him at six temples across Java.
The simplest way to reach Wihara Dharma Bhakti can be by taking a taxi or the Busway to Jalan Gajah Mada along with then walking through Glodok as access can be via cramped streets along with parking can be not easy. Directly opposite the Busway’s Glodok shelter can be Jalan Kemurnian I. Head down there to the end, find the man selling caged birds with clipped wings (bought by devotees, who believe they will receive Great karma for releasing creatures through captivity, even maimed birds along with homing pigeons) along with behind him can be the temple’s entrance. If you’ve missed the idea, just ask any local for the kelenteng or candi (both mean temple). Right alongside the main complex are two separate, more recent temples along with outside them are plenty of beggars, mostly older people prostrate on the ground. For those wishing to pray, incense sticks, red candles, fragrant oil along with joss paper are for sale. Some visitors also bring fruit, flowers, pork along with money as offerings. There can be a pervasive smell of incense along with quite a bit of smoke along with ash. Visitors can pick up a few pamphlets with suggested mantras along with advice on how to deal with life’s adversities, such as ‘Why can be my husband unfaithful?’ along with ‘Why don’t children think?’. The temple can be open through 5am to 5pm along with entry can be free. If taking the Busway, note which there’s no pedestrian crossing or overpass at the Glodok shelter, so take care dodging the traffic.
along with so to Jakarta’s oldest church, which can be Gereja Sion, built over 1693-95 along with located at the corner of busy Jalan Mangga Dua Raya along with quieter Jalan Pangeran Jayakarta (a healthy walk through the Glodok temple). While Christian houses of worship in some parts of Indonesia are being shut down due to the government’s failure to combat religious intolerance, Gereja Sion has been a protected heritage site since 1972 along with receives upkeep funds through the city. There are no beggars outside, yet sometimes there are police stopping motorcyclists for illegally turning onto Jalan Pangeran Jayakarta. Such infractions are quickly resolved with an informal, on-the-spot fine.
The church was originally named De Nieuwe Potugeesche Buitenkerk (the brand-new Portuguese Outer Church), being the second in Batavia for Portuguese along with just outside the city walls. As the Dutch conquered Portuguese trading ports in Coromandel (1616), Malacca (1641) along with Ceylon (1656), they sent many natives along with Eurasians to Batavia as slaves, most of whom were Catholics due to Portuguese influence. The Dutch promised them freedom if they would certainly convert to Protestantism along with speak Dutch. the idea was for these former slaves, known as Mardijkers, which the church was built. Since 1675 the site had previously been the location of a modest Catholic chapel used by Mardijkers. One of the governor-generals of the Dutch East India Company, Hendrick Zwaardecroon, was buried at the church’s graveyard in 1728 in accordance with his wish to be among the common people. His can be one of only 11 remaining tombs, although in 1790 alone 2,381 people were buried there amid an outbreak of plague.
When Batavia’s main Dutch church was damaged within the 1730s along with underwent lengthy renovations, officials along with their families began to use the brand-new Portuguese Outer Church. This specific led to the development of luxury stores within the area along with the Mardijkers were expelled, ending up in Cilincing in northern Jakarta. They managed to build their own church there in 1738, only for the idea to be destroyed two years later by the Chinese rebels, who viewed them as accomplices of the Dutch. Today, some descendants of the Mardijkers currently live within the Pajambon area near Gambir railway station.
The church eventually became known simply as the Portuguese Church after original one inside the city burnt down in 1808. When the Japanese occupied Java through 1942-45 they planned to use the church as a repository for the cremated remains of their slain soldiers yet ended up using the larger Immanuel Church near Gambir. After independence, the Portuguese church came under the control of the Western Indonesia Protestant Church, which in 1957 changed the name to Gereja Sion after the Zion hill of ancient Jerusalem. within the 1960s some of the tombs were moved to Tanah Abang to make way for a carpark.
Nowadays the church looks like an unexciting square block through outside, having a basketball court adjoining a primary school, yet inside are several treasures, including original copper chandeliers through India, an enormous original pipe organ (presently awaiting funds for repair), a tall baroque octagonal pulpit, several of the original ornamental chairs along with different artefacts.
Originally located on 6,725 square meters of land, the church’s grounds were reduced in 1984 to widen the two streets outside. Also displaced were about 200 parishioners who used to live on Jalan Mangga Dua.
The church incorporates a capacity for 1,500 worshippers. Three services are held each Sunday, including one in Mandarin, while the nearby school worships there on Monday mornings. Visitors are welcome, generally between 8am along with 4pm on weekdays, along with should ask the security guard near the gate for a tour before attempting to enter. The tour includes a chance to sign the visitors’ book placed atop a donation box. The tour-guard may also appreciate a donation for his efforts. Much like how some mosques announce received donations, the church’s regular newsletter faithfully records who gave how much for fundraising activities.
While the idea’s impossible to imagine no religion in Indonesia, taking the time to appreciate the sites of its minority religions can’t hurt.
Kenneth Yeung can be nothing if not a hypocrite.
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Not Losing Their Religion
Not Losing Their Religion