Chinese temples are sacred sites for the practice of
Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion comprehends a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee described it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be filled ...
and
Chinese Buddhism
Chinese Buddhism or Han Buddhism ( zh, s=汉传佛教, t=漢傳佛教, p=Hànchuán Fójiào) is a Chinese form of Mahayana Buddhism which has shaped Chinese culture in a wide variety of areas including art, politics, literature, philosophy, ...
.
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
has a significant population of Indian nationals of
Chinese ethnic origin (immigrants and their descendants that emigrated from China starting in the late 18th century to work at the
Kolkata port as well as the
Chennai port
Chennai Port, formerly known as Madras Port, is the second largest container port of India, behind Mumbai's Nhava Sheva. The port is the largest one in the Bay of Bengal. It is the third-oldest port among the 13 major ports of India with offic ...
). Unofficial estimates puts the population of Indian nationals of Chinese-origin in Kolkata anywhere from 5,000 to 200,000, most of whom live in or near
Tangra.
The Chinese brought with them their culture. At least eight of the Chinese temples are located in the old Chinatown around Tiretta Bazar in Central Kolkata.
Temples
Though the places of worship are referred to as "churches", they are sites of veneration that adhere to
Chinese traditional religion
Chinese folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion comprehends a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee described it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be filled ...
and have nothing to do with Christianity.
* Sea Ip Church (四邑會館)
* Toong On Church (東安會館)
* Choonghee Dong Thien Haue Church
* Gee Hing Church
* Sea Voi Yune Leong Futh Church (會寧會館)
* Nam Soon Church (南順會館)
* Hsuan Tsang Monastery
Gallery
See also
*
Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion comprehends a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee described it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be filled ...
*
Chinese folk religion in Southeast Asia
*
List of Mazu temples
*
Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong
Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong are dedicated to Tin Hau (Mazu). Over 100 temples are dedicated (at least partially) to Tin Hau in Hong Kong. A list of these temples can be found below.
Famous temples
Famous Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong include: ...
*
Kwan Tai temples in Hong Kong There are several Kwan Tai Temples () in Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city an ...
*
Hip Tin temples in Hong Kong There are several Hip Tin Temples () in Hong Kong. Kwan Tai (Lord Guan) is worshiped in these temples.
Kwan Tai Temples are also dedicated to Lord Guan. Man Mo Temples are jointly dedicated to Man Tai () and Kwan Tai (aka. Mo Tai, ).
''Note 1:'' ...
*
List of City God Temples in China
This is a list of City God Temples in China.
Hong Kong
Shing Wong Temples () in Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HK ...
References
External links
List of Chinese Temples in Old Chinatown Kolkata
{{commons category, Chinese temples in Kolkata
Religious buildings and structures in Kolkata
Temples in Chinese folk religion
Buddhist temples in India
Chinese-Indian culture
Overseas Chinese organisations