The Chinese have been trading with India for centuries and it was no surprise when one Chinese trader decided to set shop right near the city. With the establishment of a sugar processing plant, Tong Achew unknowingly sowed a seed for his community to call this country their home. Even though the sugar processing factory had a short life but that paved the opportunity for the Chinese to come to Calcutta in search of a better living.
Why Chinese Build These Temples & Churches in Kolkata?
The first set of Chinese immigrants were mostly men and it is quite natural for them to form their own groups usually from the same village or the same trade. Group formations like these were not uncommon as within mainland China also workers from one province who would have travelled to another province for work would form groups.
These social groups were referred to as Huiguans (“Voi-Koon” in Cantonese and “Fee Kwan” in Hakka) which actually would translate as “meeting place” in English. So the Chinese workers who had come to Calcutta started forming these Huiguans. These were actually social clubs which had facilities like that of a school, games like Mahjong, some had basic beds while some had proper boarding facility for newly arrived workers from the mainland.
Whenever a new immigrant would come from a particular province he would first head straight to his community Huiguans. Here other than meeting his own people he would also be in groups who had similar skill sets like carpenter, dentist, tanners etc. This way it would also be easy for them to find a job by word of mouth. Another important role for these Huiguans was to make funeral arrangements. When a Chinese immigrant would die here in this city then most likely he would have been alone here without his family. Since it was impossible to send the body back home to Chania they would have to be buried here in the city and with no relatives around it was these very Huiguans that would do the necessary funeral arrangements.
Last but not the least most of these Huiguans also had a traditional temple built. So basically it was a social club where one could come to socialize, play some games and pray to their gods.
How The Chinese Decided To Join Which Club?
China is fairly a large country thus even though they might speak the same dialect or have similar gods they might have a difference in traditions and worship style. Thus immigrants usually joined a club which was specific to their religious styles. The clubs were actually men’s only and women and children were not allowed. A reason for this would be that the initial immigrants were mostly men who came alone without their family. Later on, when family members started arriving the women and children were allowed only during festivities and other mass religious ceremonies. This, however, is not practised anymore and these clubs are open to all.
The Four Main Chinese Community of Kolkata
The Chinese who immigrated to Calcutta in search of work were mainly from Guangdong Province.
1) The Carpenters – These people were Cantonese speaking from West Guangdong Province. These people were master carpenters whose work were adored by the British. This community mainly settled in the Tiretti Bazaar locality. Here they set up their carpentry shops some of which still exists till date.
2) The Tanners – These group of men came from the East Guangdong Province and spoke Hakka. Being tanners which involved working with rawhide they set up their business around Tangra which then was extreme outskirts of the city and was mainly marshlands.
3) The Dentists – These men were traditional Chinese Dentists and came from Central China (Hubei Province).
4) The Laundry Men – This group of people came from Shanghai. Most of the people from this community set up laundry and dry cleaning business and that is the reason why one can see many Shanghai Laundry & Dry Cleaners around the city.
Why Are The Chinese Temples Called Churches?
These are basically traditional Chinese temples but are referred to as Churches. Some elders in the community say that it was because the local Chinese community saw several massive churches all around them mostly built by the British and so they also started calling their temples as churches as for these initial Chinese immigrants they did not have the exact dictionary translation for their place of worship which could be translated to English.
Where Are The Chinese Temples Located?
Tiretti (Tiretta) Bazar was the original Chinatown where most of the old temples are located but as the community expanded to Tangra the second Chinatown we can find some temples out there also. However, most of the old Chinese temples can be found only around Tiretti Bazar.
Locations of These Chinese Temples and Churches?
When I had initially decided to write this blog I wanted to make a comprehensive list of all the Chinese Temples and Churches so the list not only includes traditional Chinese temples but also Christian Churches as well as Chinese Kali Temple. It’s important to list down all of these since all of them have some connection with this community and needs to explore. Till now I have found 16 of them.
Tiretti Bazar Chinese Temples
Sea Ip Church
Toong On Church
Gee Hing Church
Sea Voi Yune Leong Futh Church
Choonghee Dong Thien Haue Church
Nam Soon Church
Ling Liang Church
Chadni Chowk Chinese Temple
Choong Yee Thong Church
Tangra Chinese Temples
Grace Ling Liang Chinese Church
Fo Guang Shan Kolkata Buddhist Centre
Pei May Chinese School Temple
Chinese Kali Mandir
Shing Yin Temple
Tai Shou Gung Temple
Chowbagha Chinese Temple
Hsuan Tsang Chinese Buddhist Temple & Monastery
Lake Town Chinese Temple
Calcutta Chinese Buddhist Temple
Location of All the Chinese Temples and Churches on Map
Sea Ip Church
Address: 22/1 Chattawala Lane, Kolkata 700012
Opening Date: Original Location (1882 or 1894) Present Location (1905)
Deity: Kuan Shih Yin, Kuan Yimg or Guanyin or Guan Yin (Goddess of Mercy)
Type: Traditional Chinese
Community of: Four districts of Guangdong Province
Visually this is the most stunning Chinese temple in this locality. It is a two-storied building with the club on the ground floor and the temple on the first floor. The club on the first floor is the only Chinese club where I have seen people reading the only Chinese newspaper that is printed in the country. It’s printed locally and due to its declining popularity is now printed on a limited basis with Xerox Offset technology instead of the earlier Letter Press method. On a Sunday evening, you would also find older Chinese men playing chess on wooden boards.
On the first floor, you have the temple and the thing to watch out is the wooden roof which is more than hundred years old. The deity is placed in the main room with offerings placed on the table in front. Make sure to notice the intricately carved wood works with hang from the ceiling. Also, another unique thing about this temple is its collection of porcelain Buddha’s which is placed in a glass showcase on the side. The wooden roof is as old as this temple thus more than 100 years old.
Toong On Church
Address: 22 Black Burn Lane, Kolkata 700012
Opening Date: 1924
Deity: Kuan Ti / Guan Yu (God of War)
Type: Traditional Chinese
Community of: Koon Tong Province (Canton Region)
This place was basically where the famous Nanking Restaurant was once located. The ground floor was where one of India’s first Chinese restaurants existed and on the first floor, you had the residence and the family temple.
As per records, the original Toong On Church was located at 10 Black Burn Lane and just the Nanking Restaurant was located at this address. After the closure of the restaurant Toong On Church was shifted to this place to avoid it being sold off.
Be prepared to navigate through heaps of garbage when trying to enter this particular church. Even though the local municipal body has a fully functional automated garbage processing plant nearby it is the local roadside squatters that tend to mess up the entrance when they sit to sort through their piles of garbage collection. Things sometimes become such worse that you have to actually walk over garbage and then enter the premises.
After years of legal battle between the owners and the government and the local association finally, the structure is safe from demolition and you will find a big Buddha statue on the ground floor which has been very recently placed just to keep the place from again falling into the wrong hands. Take the stairs to the first floor and you will be able to see the temple.
When you are at the temple do look at the stained glass window and the circular tapered columns something reminisce of classic architecture of the early 1900’s.
Gee Hing Church
Address: 13 Black Burn Lane, Kolkata 700012
Opening Date: Original Location (1888) Present Location (1920)
Deity: Kuan Ti / Guan Yu (God of War)
Type: Traditional Chinese
Community of: Mixed
The entrance to this club and temple is very deceiving, you need to take the tiny lane located next to Chen’s Carpentry Work and walk up to first floor. Both the club as well as the temple is located on the same floor. The main attraction at this club is Mahjong and you will see several play boards across the main floor and members from the Chinese community playing especially on Sunday’s.
The club has the main deity and a small adjacent room with another deity. You will find several cats roaming all around this club and personally I have seen them on every visit. These cats just roam lazily around the club which makes me believe that the cats stay at the club itself.
There used to be another club located on the top floor (above Gee Hing Church) called Woo Hip Koon this club used to have functional guest rooms on the upper floor for Chinese workers who came new to the city to use it as a temporary accommodation but now it’s no more functional and off limits.
Sea Voi – Yune Leong Futh Church
Address: 17 Black Burn Lane, Kolkata 700012
Opening Date: 1908
Deity: Ruan Ziyu & Liang Cineng (Futh/Buddha), Lu Ban (Carpenter God) and Tong Atchew
Type: Traditional Chinese
Community of: Se-Wui Province (Canton Region)
Walk a little towards North and you will find a beautiful red coloured circular long building and at the very corner, you will find a small door. Note that this temple has no signboards and you just need to push the door open to enter the temple. On the top of the building, you will see a “Hupei Association” board and this should be the identifier. Hupei’s are the Chinese dentists by profession.
This is the only temple that has both Ruan Ziyu & Liang Cineng together both of which are considered as an incarnation of Buddha.
Normally there is always an attendant at the temple who can show you around. Amongst all the other Chinese temples this is the only temple where you need prior permission for photography. The temple attendant cannot give you permission and you would have to speak to the person in charge of the temple for that. This is also the smallest of all the temples at Tiretti just located in a single small room, what it lacks by size is made up by overall look and feel. The social club is located next door and has to be accessed from the Eastern side of the building.
Choonghee Dong Thien Haue Church
Address: 32 Black Burn Lane, Kolkata 700012
Opening Date: 1858
Deity: Tien Hou (Queen of Heaven) + Other
Type: Traditional Chinese
Community of: Hakka Community
Your first impression can be very deceiving when it comes to this temple in particular. What you see first is just an entrance with a door with the name written on a marble plaque on top. This temple which is basically a Tien Hou Maid Temple is located on the first floor. Just take the stairs up to the first floor and you will see the temple. Do not forget to visit the room towards the east where you will find some more deities.
This temple has deities of Tien Hou (Queen of Heaven), Kun Se Sin (Lady in white of Buddhism), Tu Teh Chun (God and goddess of well-being and happiness) along with few others located in the next room.
This temple is mainly used by the Hakka community whereas the rest of the Chinese temples in this locality are mainly used by the Cantonese people.
Nam Soon Church
Address: 13 Damzen Lane, Kolkata 700073
Opening Date: 1820 (approximate)
Deity: Kuan Ti / Guan Yu (God of War), Lu Ban (Carpenter God) & Caishen (God of Wealth)
Type: Traditional Chinese
Community of: Nam Hai Province, Phan Yu Province & Shun Tak Province (Canton Region)
This is the oldest Chinese temple in the city and evidence of this can be found in the large bell which has inscriptions stating this. Each Chinese community have their own style of worship and practices thus these three provinces who had similar methodology had this temple built for themselves. Other than the temple there is also a club which operated from the room on the northern side of the temple. This temple also had age-old age home and a Chinese language school within its premises.
To locate this temple you have to walk on Damzen Lane until you reach a bend and right at the edge of the bend you will find a small gate which will take you to the courtyard of the temple.
Ling Liang Chinese Church
Address: P-7, Hide Lane, Bowbazar, Kolkata 700012
Opening Date: 1961
Deity: N/A
Type: Christian
Community of: All
Interestingly most of the Chinese in the city of Kolkata is now officially Christians. Even though they visit the Chinese Temples and celebrate traditional Chinese festivals most of them are now Christians. Ling Liang Church is probably the first Christian church for the Chinese located at Tiretti Bazaar.
Rev. Dr and Mrs T. David Lamb were Christian missionaries from Shanghai who came to Calcutta to spread the gospel. Since Tiretti Bazaar had the densest population of Chinese thus they set up the Ling Liang Chinese School and along with that Liang Liang Chinese Church.
Choong Yee Thong Church
Address: 19 Meredith Street, Kolkata 700013
Opening Date: 1920
Deity: Kuan Ti / Guan Yu (God of War) and Caishen (God of Wealth)
Type: Traditional Chinese
Community of: All
This building was actually Mei Kong Chinese School which was built by the members of the community for Chinese children. The school became so popular that the original structure which was relatively much smaller had to be rebuilt and scaled up. With the start of Indo-China war, the population of Chinese in the city suddenly declined and so it affected the school also. It did again gain popularity but by then the city had other popular English school which was preferred then. The original location of the club was present right next to Gee Hing Church at Tiretti Bazaar and the stone plaque can still be seen out there.
There is a small temple on the terrace which can be accessed by stairs. Unlike the other temples, this remains closed most part of the day. If you want to visit then it should be before 11 AM.
Grace Liang Liang Chinese Church
Address: 14, Gobinda Chandra Khatik Rd, Topsia, Kolkata, West Bengal 700046
Opening Date: 1973
Deity: N/A
Type: Christian
Community of: All
After the Liang Liang Chinese Church and School at Tiretti Rev. Dr and Mrs T. David Lamb who were missionaries from Shanghai opened this school for the Chinese families based in Tangra. Along with the school they built a church. Service takes place every Sunday morning and during special school activities.
Fo Guang Shan Kolkata Buddhist Centre
Address: 8 New Tangra Road, Kolkata 700046
Opening Date: 1998 / 2012
Deity: Buddha
Type: Buddhist
Community of: All
This was the very first Chinese temple that I had ever visited in my life and that too in Kolkata. This was actually the turning point when it comes to documenting the Chinese community of Kolkata. I had dropped my card with the centre in charge (the head monk) and from then onwards I got invited to various events and the rest, as they say, was history.
This is one of the newest religious centres in the city and along with the Buddhist temple this place also operates as a monastery, Chinese Language School and last but not the least a small eatery serving delicious vegetarian Chinese cuisine.
For me, the most attractive part was the Chinese calligraphy training that takes place at the library. If you are really serious and want to learn a new language then this is the place to be.
Pei May Chinese School Temple
Address: P1-2, Ishwar Mondal Lane, Kolkata 700046 (Terrace)
Opening Date: 1929
Deity: Kuan Ti / Guan Yu (God of War) and Caishen (God of Wealth)
Type: Traditional Chinese
Community of: All
Once this was the largest Chinese language school in the city. The size of the property can rival any big school in the city but unfortunately, with the declining population who wants to be taught in Chinese, this school started slowing down. Added to this misery was multiple legal issues which even stopped the school from functioning. Now the school is slowing regaining life and is back teaching students. However, in this school, Chinese (Mandarin) is just another subject and not the main language of teaching. At the moment this is the only functioning Chinese school in the city.
Being a Chinese institution it has a functioning Chinese temple on the terrace. This temple has a special significance during Chinese New Year celebrations at Tangra. All the Lion Dance groups must first go to the temple and pray and then perform around the town.
Entry is free for all during Chinese New Year and other celebrations, for rest of the time you need verbal permission from Beijing Restaurant since they manage this temple.
Chinese Kali Mandir
Address: Matheswartala Road, Tangra, Kolkata 700046
Opening Date: Not Available
Deity: Kali & Shiva
Type: Hindu
Community of: All
This is one of the most talked about Chinese temple in the city even though this is just a small roadside temple. The obvious reason is that it’s the only Hindu Chinese Temple in the city which is run and managed by the Chinese community. Over the years some Chinese have converted to Hinduism and thus started praying to Kali and Shiva. Though this is a Hindu temple some Chinese influence can be seen like that of the offering of Chinese(type) incense sticks.
The main reason why this temple is getting so much attention is the fact that the Prasad that is offered to the Hindu deities include Chinese dished like noodles. Try visiting this temple during Kali Puja and see the local Chinese community performing aarti.
Shing Yin Temple
Address: 82/1B, Tangra, Kolkata 700046
Opening Date:
Deity: Buddha
Type: Buddhist
Community of: All
Take the eastbound lane from Chinese Kali Mandir and you will reach this new Buddhist temple. This is relatively a new temple which is obvious with its new building structure. The main temple is located on the ground floor with the upper floor used by the temple authorities for official purposes. This temple is open for viewing early in the morning from 7 AM onwards for around an hour and in the evening at 5 PM for an hour.
Tai Shou Gung Temple
Address: 104 D/1 Matheswartala Road, Kolkata 700046
Opening Date:
Deity:
Type: Traditional Chinese
Community of: All
I am sure you have passed by this temple several times but failed to notice since the building does not resemble a temple. Located right next to the huge China Town Gate (Chinatown Gate) on JBS Haldene Avenue (Below Maa Flyover) this is more like a triangular building and the temple is located on the ground floor. The temple is usually open during the morning hours.
Hsuan Tsang Chinese Buddhist Temple & Monastery
Address: Adarsha Nagar, West Chowbagha, Kolkata 700100
Opening Date: 1968
Deity: Buddha
Type: Buddhist
Community of: All
I am sure you have read about the famous Chinese traveller and this temple and monastery is named after him. The location of this temple is a bit out of the city more towards Bantala. Since most of the tanneries at Tangra were shut due to pollution concern and most were shifted to Bantala the Chinese communities extended out.
This temple is located around 15 minutes from Ruby Hospital and has a huge property which comprises of a temple of the ground floor, a community hall on the first floor, a monastery and also a small cemetery.
Calcutta Chinese Buddhist Temple
Address: 426, Sree Bhumi, Jessore Road, Kolkata 700048
Opening Date: 1962 / 1972
Deity: Buddha
Type: Buddhist
Community of: All
This temple is located in Lake Town and is the northernmost Chinese temple in the city. Not many people know about the temple and inside a small discreet lane, you will find this massive building with the temple on the first floor. Remember to open your shoes at the entrance and then get to the first floor. Take permission from the temple owners if you plan to do photography.
I have tried my best to cover all available and known Chinese temples and churches in the city of Kolkata. Please feel free to contact me if you know of any other temple or church that can be added to this list. All the information that I have put up against each temple or church are either from information plaques or from the elders of the Chinese community. There can be mistakes especially in identifying the gods so please do let me know if you find anything it will ultimately help this consolidated list grow. I have not included the Chinese temple of Achipur since that is located quite far away from the Kolkata jurisdiction. I will write a separate blog about that temple.