Chinese New Year holiday is a great opportunity for you to spend time with family or visit new destinations. Bintan Island has numerous tourist destinations that are perfect for your Chinese New Year exploration. Here are some of our recommendations:
500 Lohan Temple
Vihara Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, also known as the 500 Lohan Temple is one of Bintan’s best treasures. Located in Kijang (South Bintan), the premise is just a short drive away from the main bustling scene of Tanjung Pinang. Step into the temple grounds and be transported into surreal settings of towering structures and the highlight—more than 500 life-sized (Lohan/Arhat) stone statues with intricate physique and facial expressions, each one unique and different from the next. Look through the sea of faces and try spotting famous Chinese characters such as Journey to the West’s Tripitaka or Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ Guan Gong.
Vihara Avalokitesvara Graha
Marvel at one of the tallest statues of the Goddess of Mercy in Southeast Asia at Vihara Avalokitesvara Graha (also commonly known as Guan Yin Temple), situated a short drive away from the main town hub of Tanjung Pinang. This grand and majestic brass statue is 16.8m tall and coated in 22-carat gold, and attracts visitors from the region and around the world.
Explore the grounds of the temple and find intricate motifs and sculptures of other Chinese deities. An impressive expanse of dragon fruit plantation sits right at the front of the temple, providing a great backdrop to insta-worthy pictures captured during the day.
Vihara Sangharama
Located at Sebong Pereh, Vihara Sangharama is famous for its giant sea turtle statue that will greet you as you arrived in the area. Another statue that will surely gain a lot of attention is the 15-meter-tall statue of Guan Sheng Di Jun or Guan Yu, a military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is also a major figure in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. This statue stands majestically at the back of the Vihara.
While you admire the marvelous architecture of the Vihara, you will also enjoy the refreshing sea breeze since this Vihara is located in front of a beach. Vihara Sangharama can be reached with a 15-minute drive from Tanjung Uban.
Banyan Tree Temple
Witness the power of Mother Nature at the Banyan Tree Temple of Senggarang Village where ancient trees entwine their roots around, enveloping the ancient walls of the building in a protective embrace. The result is a fascinating and formidable structure that makes an ideal photography subject.
There are many stories concerning the origins of the site which was built in 1811. Its signboard reads “大夫第”, referring to residences of high-ranking government officers called “Kapitan”. Some believe it was the home of deified Kapitan Cina Tan Nguang Ga (陈源教) who was the village head and a good Samaritan that helped the needy during his retirement.
According to the villagers, it was once a grand, two-story structure. After the house was desolated, it was dilapidated and would have long collapsed if not for the banyan trees’ support.
Surrounded by the remnants of the old walls, the altar sits in the newer concrete area built with funds donated from a Medan Chinese businessman who allegedly struck lucky after praying at the temple. The site now serves as a village shrine with the main deity being the Kapitan whose ancestral tablet is positioned in the center. Flanking the sides are two unnamed community tablets for locals who have passed away without descendants, and for individuals who have contributed greatly to Senggarang Village.
Lau Ya Keng
Named after the Old Lord Tua Lau Ya, the patron deity of Teochews, Lau Ya Keng is a religious compound in Senggarang Village where you can find the oldest temples in Riau.
A trio of traditional Chinese temples sits right in front of the jetty, dedicated to the Supreme Emperor of Dark Heaven (Xuan Tian Shang Di), Goddess of the Sea (Mazu), and the God of Prosperity (Fude Zhengshen). Devotees pay homage to them respectively for success in business, safe travels in the seas, and bountiful harvests.
Donated by Indonesians and Singaporeans, colorful divine sculptures grace the complex grounds including the 5m tall Thousand-Hand Guan Yin and Amitabha Buddha as well as characters from the classic ‘Journey to the West’ tale.
A more modern Mahayana Buddhist temple (Vihara Dharma Sasana) and a small shrine are located at the back. According to the temple caretaker, this temple was constructed with less traditional aesthetical elements to alleviate anti-Chinese sentiments during the late 1980s. The shrine used to be a small attap hut built to memorialize Senggarang’s “24 Martyrs” who were said to be executed for assassinating a disfavoured village chief and subsequently dedicated to a local Chinese medium.
If you are looking for a hassle-free trip to some of the destinations we mentioned above, check out our Gods and Dragons tour package, or click here to see other available tour packages. With a 60-minute ferry ride from Singapore, Bintan Island offers a great combination of picturesque landscapes and exciting activities for you to enjoy.
