Sunday, August 23, 2009

The Fairy Temple


A long time ago we visited the Fairy Cave Temple in Keelung. You can get there by bus from the train station; it's in a part of the city rarely visited by foreigners and really quite quiet. Despite being near the harbor the feel of the area is almost suburban.

The temple is unique in that it's situated in what used to be a cave. The temple was built around the stone, and the walls retain that natural feeling. Some photos below:


Lots of visitors have carved their names on the stone walls in the back corridors.


Even in the wider sections of the temple, the walls are the same as those of the original cave.


The walls and passageways are naturally, carved out of a pre-existing cave. They've still got their natural contours.


Lots of carved marble and other white stone statues are displayed around the temple's cave walls.

Painted figures abound in one of the main rooms of the temple.


Idols and icons are carved into the stone walls at the temple.


Statues in the Fairy Temple.


The opening to another section of the Fairy Cave Temple.


Keelung Island (Heping Island?) off the coast of Keelung Harbor. You can see it from the fort near the Fairy Temple on a bluff to the west of the harbor.


Brendan in front of the most beautiful view in the world. We should get our wedding photos taken here!

1 comment:

Craig Ferguson (@cfimages) said...

What a great looking temple. Keelung seems to have a number of overlooked gems - I'll have to make a trip out there sometime and do some exploring. Great report and pics.