The Chinese Temple Hong San Si of Jalan Petanak Kuching
The Temple of Hong San Si reflects what is called “Chinese religion”. It is a mixture of Tao, Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. From these comes a system which reflects deities within each of these religions.
The Temple is not like a catholic or protestant church. Instead, it is a cacophony of ancient beliefs with some deities coming from Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism and others.
Many of the different Chinese who came here to Kuching came from China. Each village in China had its deity. There was a desire to reproduce that particular deity from that village within the Temple.
I visited the Temple with my friend and historian John Tan, who gave me an understanding of the culture. The Temple is so complex that I can only write about a small section at a time.
As one walks onto the grounds of the Temple, you bear right to the side of the main building. The first statute you will see will be the four-faced Hindu God Brahma. Next, you will come to a table with two offerings of ceramic jars burning incense. This is followed by the river of large stones on the ground. As one steps over the river, the altar is divided into three sections: To the left is the deity of wealth, in the centre is the deity of stone, and to the right are the earth guards.
Hindu God Brahma
Painted with gold, the four-faced statute one encounters when first proceeding to the right represents the Hindu God Brahma. He is a Hindu god associated with creation and knowledge. The four heads are thought to be the representatives of the four Vedas (chapters) of the holy scriptures of Hinduism.
The River
The stone river divides the area just before the altar. There are many “rivers” in the Chinese religion. The Weak river has water that cannot hold up even a feather. There are three rivers which flow from Kunlun, a mythological mountain in China. They are the White, Black and Yellow Rivers. I am not sure which river “flows” through this Temple.
Deity of Wealth
In the Hindu religion, Lakshmi reigns as a goddess of material and spiritual wealth. She is the wife of Vishnu. The deity represents good luck, prosperity, success and good fortune.
Deity of the Stone
The deity of the stone is called the Duke of Stone in Mandarin and Tokong Batu in Malay. In Sarawak and elsewhere, he was for the protection of early Chinese settlers. Currently, he reflects wealth and prosperity. The stone deity was usually found in rural areas and at the entrance to mines. The Hong San Si Temple was in a very rural location but has since been incorporated into the greater Kuching area. It was moved recently to its new location from across the road. In Bau, there is a temple linked to the gold mining area. (thanks to Ju Kit Kong and Lim TK Lewis)
The Duke of Stone practised animism and is part of the earth deity. Yu the Great was said to be impregnated from a stone, and, therefore, the deity is considered a god of fertility.
There are four reasons why a stone should be worshipped: 1)Stone location, like at the entrance to a mine or a gate. 2)The stone’s colour and/or shape is human-like. 3)A miracle occurred near or around the stone, and 4) linked to Linga worship (?) a particular stone should be worshipped for healthy children or a successful pregnancy. (thanks to the National Religion Network of Taiwan)
The Sarawak Museum Journal (December 1962) has another story about the stone god. Many years ago, an old man and his family lived near the jungle’s edge. One day he saw a white stone near the trunk of a tree. He dreamed the stone was really a man and that if he fetched it home and looked after it well, health and prosperity would come to the whole family. The next morning he hurried into the jungle and dragged it back to the house, where it was given an honoured place in the house. There it stayed for many years. On all important occasions, the stone was offered rice and other foods. The family grew rich.
Getting old and wobbly, the old man could not see very well. It was decided to transfer the stone to the main village where it could be well looked after. The villagers were delighted to have it. The village people built a special house for the stone right in the middle of the village. A very big feast was then celebrated, called Gawai Guna Bath. The feast itself is held every three years. Moreover, the stone multiplies itself. There are now several stones that are believed to help those in need or in poverty or sickness. (The King of Stone, a land Dyak god of Sarawak and Kalimatan) by R. Nyandoh Sarawak Museum Journal 1962)
Earth Deities
A collection of earth deities is housed on the right side of the altar. The ones in the Chinese religion include Houtu, the god of the queen of the earth and Tudi, the god of the soil. They are prayed to for a good harvest. The middle and the left side will appear in another article.
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