Tainan Travel

Kaiji Ling You Temple(開基靈祐宮)was built in 1665 and enshrines Xuan Tian Shang Di (Dark Heavenly Highest Deity.) Inside, there is the only gold-faced statue of Xuan Tian Shang Di in Taiwan. Due to being established before other temples, it is called “kaiji”, meaning founding. As Xuan Tian Shang Di represents the God of the North, north belongs to the element water and the representative color is black, Ling You Temple features a large number of black pillars and red beams. Also, there are quite a few paintings and stone carvings in the temple that are the work of master craftsmen from Tainan; the mural “36 Heavenly Generals” in the main hall is by Tsai Cao-ru; other precious works by Pan Yue-xiong and Chen Shou-yi can also be seen in Ling You Temple.