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

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

Temples

Gallery

See also

References

External links