Dec 6, 2011

Sam Po Kong Temple



Sam Po Kong Temple is the former site of the first port of call and landing a Chinese Muslim admiral named Zheng He / Cheng Ho. This place is usually called Gedung Batu, since its shape is a huge Batu Caves are situated on a rock hill. Located in Simongan areas, southwest of Semarang.

Sam Po Kong temple besides being a place of worship and pilgrimage is also an attractive tourism place to visit. This place is also known as Gedong Batu. Some say the name because the origin of this place is a large rock cave located on a rock hill. But there are some people who say that the actual origin of the correct word is Kedong Batu, aka pile of natural stones that are used to stem the flow of the river.

According to the story, at the beginning of the 15th century Admiral Zheng He was having a cruise along the sea coast of Java and came to a peninsula. Because there is a sick crew, he ordered landed along a river that is now known as the river Kaligarang. He landed in a village named Simongan. Following up on land, he found a cave of stone and used to meditate and worship places. Zeng He decided to stay for a while the place is. While the crew is ill treated and given medication from herb leaves that exist around the place.

After hundreds of years later, in October 1724 a ceremony was held at the same time large-scale construction of the temple as an expression of gratitude to Sam Po Tay Djien. Twenty years earlier it was reported that the cave is believed to be a place of meditation, Sam Po collapse struck by lightning. Not long after the cave was rebuilt and placed inside the statue of Sam Po with four of his men brought in from China. At the celebration in 1724 has been added to the building overhang at the front of the cave.

The annual celebration of the landing anniversary of Zheng He is one of the main agenda in the city of Semarang. The celebration begins with a religious ceremony in the temple of Tay Kak Sie, in Gang Lombok. After that then followed by a procession of the statue of Sam Po Kong temple at Tay Kak Sie to Gedong Stone. The statue is then placed alongside the statue of Sam Po Kong native in Gedong Stone.

This unique tradition started since the second half of the 19th century. At that time, Simongan area controlled by a greedy landlord. The people who want to visit the temple of Sam Po Kong are required to pay a sum of money that cost so much. Since most pilgrims are unable to pay, then transferred to the cult activities of Tay Kak Sie temple. A replica of the statue of Sam Po Kong is then created and placed in the Tay Kak Sie temple. Each of 29 or 30 months according to the sixth Chinese Lunar Calendar, the statue is a duplicate of Tay Kak Sie paraded to the Batu Gedong intended to be a replica statue of the blessed of the original statue inside the temple Gedong Stone.

In 1879 or the fifth year of Guang Xu, the area was purchased by Oei Tjie Simongan Sien. Oei Tjie Sien was the father of Oei Tiong Ham, donors are also known as Raja Gula Indonesian. Since then, the pilgrims can pray at the shrine Gedong Stone free of any cost and management of temple affairs submitted to the local Sam Po Kong Foundation. Sam Po Kong pageant was revived in 1937 and continues to be an attraction until now.

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