Tainan Grand Matsu Temple: Taiwan's Most Important Temple?

Let's say you live on an island. And you worship a lot of gods. What god would be the most important to you?

The goddess of the sea, of course! Matsu is her name, and waves are her game.

 The Grand Matsu Temple was actually a palace at first, built for a prince who eventually killed himself.

 The main hall is where his five concubines hung themselves from the rafters. It remained a palace once the Qing dynasty took control of Taiwan, but eventually was converted to a temple for Matsu.

 The building has undergone many renovations, most notably in the 17th century when it became a temple. As expected, the outside and inside is decorated with lots of colorful artwork and carvings.

 Even pillars here are very ornately done!

 I didn't get to go inside due to time constraints, but I hear it's very impressive. This is a location I'll be sure to visit again if I ever get the chance to go back to Taiwan.

 There are multiple entrances - the front entrance leads to the courtyard above, but you can also get in and out from a side entrance.

 I peeked in the side entrance to see a bunch of decorations. I believe this is behind the main hall.

Tainan is full of temples, but the Grand Matsu Temple shouldn't be missed! It's a little tough to find, though - look for the front entrance seen in the picture above. It's tucked into an alley behind the God of War Temple, and there are several other temples to be found in this area. You can easily get here by taking the tourist buses, and given its proximity to the other temple and Chihkan Towers, it's just part of one stop on your route!