Kuburraya, Thekabarnews.com—There is a beautiful temple that looks like it floats over the sea in the open waters outside Kakap Village, Kubu Raya Regency, West Kalimantan. People know the temple, located about five kilometers off the mainland, as Xiao Yi Shen Tang or Xuan Wu Zhen Tan. It stands alone in the middle of the ocean.
Travelers must take a wooden klotok boat or a tourist boat to reach the temple. The temple offers a calm atmosphere compared to the crowded coastal towns nearby. In 1969, the local Chinese community worked together to build the temple. It has since become a spiritual monument. Therefore, it is a symbol of the region’s cultural legacy.
A 74-year-old Muslim man named Slamet has been in charge of keeping the temple safe and clean for almost 30 years. He takes a boat from his residence near a factory area on the coast every morning and gets there at 7:00 a.m. He stays at the temple until 5:00 p.m. On Sundays he usually stays longer because there are more people there.
Slamet’s first job was as a caregiver, and he made Rp400,000 a month. But he stopped later since the salary wasn’t good enough. The community invited him to come back not long after. This time, he volunteered to guard the shrine without a set pay.
“I feel more comfortable working when no salary binds me. I feel freer,” Slamet said, as quoted at detikKalimantan, Tuesday, February 10.
His dedication conveys a significant message about how people of different religions can live together peacefully in Indonesia. A Muslim man guarding a Chinese temple in the middle of the sea is a positive example. In fact, it shows how diverse communities in West Kalimantan live in peace with each other.
Slamet still does his job well, even though he has to take a boat to work every day. The floating temple isn’t only a place of worship. It also serves as a gentle reminder that people of different religions in Indonesia still appreciate and support each other.
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