Enshrined within the famous Da Jia Jenn Lann temple is Mazu, the famed Taiwanese goddess who protects all mariners, and is a favourite deity in the region. Visit the beautiful temple dedicated to this popular deity when you stay at a luxurious Taichung hotel such as the Millennium Vee Hotel Taichung. With its elegant interiors and gracious hospitality, it is considered one of the finest hotels in Taichung. The Goddess Mazu is a beloved figure in Taiwanese and Southeast Chinese spirituality, with around 510 temples dedicated to her. According to legend if those stranded out in stormy seas call out her name, Mazu, she appears in a flash to save them. However, if beseechers use her formal title, Tian Fei (which translated to Heavenly Princess Consort), she appears a little later as she purportedly needs time to put on her make up and make a grand entrance. The Goddess’s powers were also believed to have prevented a bomb from exploding near the temple during WW2, when Taiwan was a strategic base of Japanese forces, evoking heavy Allied bombing of the city. Each year, the sacred statue enshrined within the temple embarks on a nine-day trip that covers seven of the most significant Mazu temples in Taiwan. More than a 100,000 adherents participate on this annual parade, which can be compared to the Hajj in the Islamic faith.
Angela Fernando is an impassioned travel writer who composes pieces under the pen name Sumaira Narayan. She loves writing about new and exciting places around the world and hopes to visit them all someday.
