Hi everybody. How are you? I hope you're okay. Last month, I visited the Dharma Bhakti monastery in West Jakarta, Indonesia. This monastery is the oldest monastery in Jakarta. This monastery was built in 1650. That year was long before Indonesia's independence. along with the entry of Chinese traders into Indonesia.
I visited this monastery on a Sunday. When I first came here, I saw that there were a lot of red knick-knacks in this temple. They started with lanterns and other things, especially the red ornaments, which are very present in the main worship room at this monastery. Two years ago, so far no religious agenda was held at this place. I am quite sad, usually the Lunar New Year agenda is the long-awaited agenda. There was a lantern party and fireworks.
I left for this monastery at 12:00 noon. I use KRL to go to this monastery from my house. Then, we continued our journey by motorbike to this monastery. The journey does not take long, only 20 minutes to get to this location. quite difficult to find this monastery. I found many markets with unknown names. but, it's very interesting. i love exploring this place. the journey to find this place was great fun.
Historical Events
This place has very historical events. In Indonesia there was a massacre in 1740. The massacre was caused by bad relations between Dutch and Chinese businessmen. The tragedy is found in the book "Geger Pecinan". This monastery was burned by the Dutch army. However, not many people know about this incident.
Despite the tragedy of the story, this monastery had 18 monks in the 18th century. That's a lot very much. Considering this Vihara had experienced a terrible massacre. From the story I was told that this place had undergone a significant name change. The reason, I don't know. Okay, I'll tell you another story. This monastery was founded in 1650 by a lieutenant guo xun-guan.
The monastery was created in conjunction with the formation of a village of Chinese descent in the area. His name is glodok. In Jakarta, Glodok is well known as a home for Chinese descent. There are many Chinese drugstores in this area. And a number of special foods for Chinese descent are sold here. however, there are a lot of food sold containing pork, I can't eat it. I tried the lontog cap go meh which is sold at this place. In fact, in Jakarta, the Glodok area is known as the center of Chinese culture.
After the tragedy, the building was rebuilt by the captain Oey Tjie in 1755. Then, it began to change its name from guan Yin ting to jin de yuan. Currently, this monastery is 372 years old. very old isn't it? In fact, it has become a mandatory place for people from outside the city to visit. On the one hand, this monastery became a holy place. Not just for sightseeing.
Today, the building has a very strong Buddhist feel. However, this place is also very tolerant. This is because the monastery is quite close to the Chinese descendants who are currently embracing various religions. Even Buddhists and Confucians, this place can also be visited by followers of other religions such as Islam, Christianity and others. They can visit this monastery. Over the years, this place has also become a symbol of tolerance in Glodok.
In the past, the monastery was named kwan im teng. In the end, this monastery was given the name dharma bhakti.For 372 years this place has not changed functions. It is still the center of Buddhism and Confucianism in the Glodok Region, West Jakarta, Indonesia. I love visiting this place. But, I didn't try divination in this place. In many monasteries, there are prophecies available to visitors. It is attractive to visitors. I will come back to this place again to try divination in this place.
About Author
Nurdiani Latifah
My name is Nurdiani Latifah. I currently live in Jakarta – Indonesia, after 25 years I live in Bandung. I am a media staff at an NGO in Indonesia. I have worked in this institution for almost 2 years on issues of women and peace. I had been a journalist in Bandung for 3 years.
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