105 Years Old Chinese Temple In Mumbai | Kwan Kung Temple | Taoist Temple | Exploring Mumbai

105 Years Old Chinese Temple In Mumbai | Kwan Kung Temple | Taoist Temple | Exploring Mumbai
#chinesetemple #buddhism #chineseculture

Nestled in a narrow alley in Mazagaon, Mumbai is the 105-year-old Kwan Kung Temple in a two-story wooden house. It was built in 1919 when the Chinese community was thriving in the area then known as Chinatown.
These people belonged to the See Yup Koon community from Canton in South China.

They came to work for the East India Company and lived on Nawab Tank Road near Dockyard. They were a flourishing community with members who worked as traders, seafarers, and merchants. When the India-China War began in 1962, many members of the Chinese community left. However, some families chose to stay in the area then known as Chinatown. Today, this place is the Dockyard Road, Mazagaon.

In almost every Chinese temple, the visitors enter from the dragon (good luck) gate and leave from the tiger (fighting) gate. But the Kwan Kung temple’s entrance is single, plain and simple.

Red, the colour of luck and happiness in Chinese culture, abounds the temple. It is adorned with wind chimes, red paper lanterns, red flags, and other items significant in the Chinese culture. There are also scriptures on the wall and inside the temple. They are written in Chinese calligraphy, also hsing-shu. 
Visitors to the temple will also find Kau cim, or fortune sticks—small wooden sticks used in a fortune-telling tradition that dates back to the third century.

General Kwan Kung fought during the Battle of the Three Kingdoms in China and is one of the most famous generals in their history. Deified as the God of War, Kwan Kung eventually became known as the God of Wealth. Due to his roles in war and wealth generation, his blessings are much sought after.

Visitors can explore the Buddha temple on the ground floor and the Kwan Kung temple on the second floor. For history enthusiasts, this place is a must-see.

The temple becomes lively in February around the Chinese New Year and the Moon Festival (Chinese harvest festival), bringing together the Chinese community. The once-large Chinese-Indian community in Mumbai has now dwindled to only a few hundred families. The temple is yet another reminder that change is the only constant in life.

#chinesenewyear #taoisttemple #chinesegod #exploremumbai #kwankungtemple #mumbaikar #mumbaiplaces #hiddengemsindia #chinatown #buddhisttemple #godofwar #history #legends #moonfestival