Beitou Tianhou Temple, commonly known as "Ximen Ding Mazu Temple," is dedicated to the Queen Mother of Heaven, Mazu. It is currently located on Chengdu Road in Wanhua District, Taipei, Taiwan. Built in 1746 by merchants from the countryside (then called Xin Xing Temple), it was one of the three major temples in the area during the Qing Dynasty, along with the Longshan Temple and the Zushidi Temple. In 1943, due to the widening of Xiyuan Road, the temple was demolished, and the statues were temporarily placed in the Longshan Temple.
In 1948, the believers brought the temporarily stored statue of the Queen Mother of Heaven from the Longshan Temple and placed it in the "Hongyang Temple" near the intersection of Chengdu Road and Xining South Road. The Hongyang Temple was originally built by the Japanese during the colonial period. After it was destroyed by fire following the war, the main hall of the Xin Xing Temple Hongyang Temple was rebuilt and renamed "Taiwan Province Tianhou Temple," and later changed to "Beitou Tianhou Temple." It is indeed a history full of twists and turns.
Mazu is regarded as the guardian deity of the sea. In the early days of Taiwan, people relied on the ocean for survival, and many people from the southeast coast came to Taiwan to develop the land. The docks were where the people lived, and temples were often built near rivers and alleys. Therefore, there are many Mazu temples near the ports. The temples' entrances face the hills across the river, hoping to protect every fisherman and seafaring immigrant.
Inside the temple, on the left side of the entrance is an ancient bell. The inscriptions on the bell indicate that the temple was called "Xin Xing Temple" when it was built during the Qing Dynasty, and it was cast in 1792 (the 57th year of the Qianlong era). The casting place was Wuxi, Jiangsu. On the right side of the entrance is a "Baxian Xianglu Xinggong Shenkuan, Baxian Lianhua Mu Zhu" (Eight Immortals Incense Burner, Palace of the Deity, and Eight Immortals Lotus Wood Candle). It was originally the shrine of the Xin Xing Temple, carved by a master from the mainland in 1820.
Since 1973, the Kongo-zan Kongobu-ji Temple and the Tokyo branch temple in Japan have taken turns sending senior monks to Beitou Tianhou Temple every October to December to hold pilgrimage Buddhist ceremonies. The main deity of Beitou Tianhou Temple is Mazu, and the accompanying deities are the Great Master of Hongfa. Only Beitou Tianhou Temple in Taiwan has a shrine for the Great Master of Hongfa, which often attracts many Japanese tourists who come specially to pay homage.