Only a twenty-minute walk from my mother-in-law's family village near Guanshi, in Hsinchu County, Taiwan, there stands a Thai Buddhist temple. I know little of the history of the place, except that, since 1992, it has grown larger and more grandiose. In 1992, the grounds occupied only the area you see above; and it was enclosed within a wall that is no longer standing.
The rest of the area now covered, as seen below, was uncultivated land. The bridge below is the passageway between the temple and the main road leading into Guanshi. The decorative carvings were added only a few years ago.
Only a few years ago, the vast parking lot that occupies most of the pictures above, and the colonnades on the left side of the pictures, were field of weeds and brush.
In the pictures below, you can see the statues that stand within the colonnade area. Most of the statues are of the Bodhisattva of Mercy Guan Yin, and no two of the statues are identical. The first statue, of course, is of Buddha.
The odd-looking, gilded idol below represents a Thai or Indian concept of Guan Yin. The Bodhisattva's name suggests that she sees and hears the cries of all and shows mercy. You might say that she has a lot of helping hands to offer.
Finally, in the photo below, you see the shrine within the temple itself.
In the pictures below, you can see the statues that stand within the colonnade area. Most of the statues are of the Bodhisattva of Mercy Guan Yin, and no two of the statues are identical. The first statue, of course, is of Buddha.
The odd-looking, gilded idol below represents a Thai or Indian concept of Guan Yin. The Bodhisattva's name suggests that she sees and hears the cries of all and shows mercy. You might say that she has a lot of helping hands to offer.
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can i have the address?
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