The history of An-ping Kai-tai Mazu Temple 歷史沿革

The temple to Mazu(媽祖) was first built in the district now known as Anping over three hundred and fifty years ago. In 1661, Koxinga (Cheng Cheng-kung), Yanping Prefect of the Ming Dynasty, moved to make Taiwan a base of resistance against the growing Cing forces. Reportedly encountering trouble  strait, Koxinga's navy is said to have been guided to shore by a manifestation of Mazu. In gratitude, the seamen erected a temple in her name to celebrate her safeguarding their journey across the strait.

安平開臺天后宮為首建於安平的媽祖廟，擁有超過三百五十年的歷史。西元1661年，國姓爺鄭成功在府城安平沿海上岸後，以此地作為反清復明的據點。據說當時國姓爺的軍隊，是在媽祖的指引下平安渡過險峻的臺灣海峽。為了感謝媽祖保佑船員海上平安，便以媽祖之名設立廟宇。

 

The village at Anping was devastated during the Sino-Japanese War(中日戰爭) of 1895 and reconstruction was long delayed by Japanese occupation and World War II. Rebuilding began in 1962 and was completed in 1975. Since then, Mazu, merciful goddess of the sea, has been worshipped by local people and entreated for blessings from danger, sickness and misfortune.

西元1895年位於安平的村莊於中日戰爭期間受到破壞，因當時受限於日本政府與二次世界大戰等原因，使得廟宇重建之路備受阻撓。終於，在西元1962年得以重建並於西元1975年完工。自此，當地居民便祭祀這位慈悲的海上女神「媽祖」，以祈求好運遠離危險、疾病及厄運。

 

Temple Features廟宇特色

The pailou(牌樓) (“archway”) in front of the temple is described as a “mountain-shaped gate” (called shanmen in Mandarin) in Buddhism and serves to separate the secular world from the sacred area. The pagoda(寶塔) is guarded by twin dragon protectors and the temple is guarded by a lion and lioness that also support the doorposts. An additional support comes in the shape of a stone drum, thought to be an incarnation of the Dragon King's youngest son, sometimes called Jiaotu(椒圖), who, through shyness, liked to curl up in a spiral and stay quietly by the door.

在廟宇建築前的牌樓，在佛教稱為「山門」，其意義是為將世俗凡塵與神界區隔。正殿屋脊上的寶塔，兩側有雙龍護衛，廟門旁則有ㄧ對公母石獅僻邪壓煞。另外，廟門前的石鼓據傳是龍王的幼子，名為椒圖，因性格靜僻，總喜歡全身蜷曲呈螺旋狀，便將祂也做為廟門的守護神。

Rather than images of door gods, the gate is decorated with studs arranged in symbolic multiples of nine. The main gate is a sacred entrance and may only be used by the gods. Mortal visitors enter by the “dragon door” on the right and leave by the “tiger door” on the left as you face the temple looking in. The names of the doors are themselves symbolic, signifying respectively “praying for blessings” and “preventing calamity”.

多數廟宇的廟門上以彩繪門神呈現，但安平開臺天后宮則使用門釘，顯示主神崇高的神格；其中門釘的個數為九的倍數，具有尊貴的象徵。正殿前方的大門是神聖的入口，為神明進出的通道。信眾通常是由右側龍門進入，自左側虎口離開，象徵吉祥如意與消災解厄。

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