Jiantan Ancient Temple Foundation

Jiantan has a fascinating legend. It is said that Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga) once led his troops past this pond. Water monsters, resembling flood dragons, often stirred up trouble in the pond, harming countless people. Zheng Chenggong threw the precious sword from his waist into the pond to vanquish the monster. From that day on, the pond's waters became calm, and it was named 'Jiantan' (Sword Pond) in recognition of Zheng Chenggong's act of throwing his sword to pacify the demon. To estimate the age of Jiantan Ancient Temple, the Taiwan Prefecture Gazetteer mentions: 'Guanyin Temple, located in Bazhilan Jiantan.' According to the Tamsui Sub-prefecture Gazetteer, 'Jiantan Temple was built in the 38th year of Qianlong (1773) through donations from Wu Tinggao and others. The temple possesses an inscribed stele recounting how the monk Ronghua, while passing through this area, encountered a snake blocking his path. He performed divination to predict good or ill fortune, which revealed great auspiciousness, prompting him to establish a site and construct a temple here. Subsequently, the White-Clad Bodhisattva appeared in a dream, giving instructions that eight vessels would pass from Shanghai through Keelung, from which funds could be raised. This proved effective, and Jiantan Temple was thus established.' Therefore, it should have a history of over 350 years to this day. However, during the late Japanese colonial period, it was compelled to relocate to its current site in Dazhi. Before entering the temple, there is a paifang (archway). Under its greenish-blue tiled roof, the four characters 'Jiantan Ancient Temple' are inscribed. The small alleyways inside mark the original site of Jiantan Ancient Temple. Within this forested garden, the temple preserves its old pillars and stone steles. The numerous traces left on these pillars each represent a piece of history, exuding a profound sense of historical richness.