Does anybody know anything about the little back-alley temples you see here? I’m curious who runs them, how they get started, and what the motivations are.
[Moderator’s note: This question is not by me but from a post by Grizzly that I have moved into its own thread.]
Most are set by local people live near the small temple.There are some religious people wnat to have this near their places.This is a bit different between small and big temples for the reason. Maybe you could find some history books of Taiwan Bulidings near NTU.
Sorry, I forgot to say.
The reasons are some, such as religion, money…ect.
So do they form a little committee or is it handled individually? (Meaning amongst other things: Who takes care of it/pays taxes on it, etc.
Does anyone do it to fulfill a vow 還願?
Most temples belong to some committee, or the rich and power family of that community. As far as I know, they need not pay any tax because the 香火錢 used in temples or become the fund for the community.Maybe that is why there are many temples here. Also another reason for setting temples because some people want to “Thanks God” or 還願 as you said.
Do you visit some interesting temples? some I feel interestimg because they keep some history and custom in this global village.