In-between Institutional Religion and Folk Faith during the Transition into a Modern Political System – The Case of Giam Temples in Taiwan

Abstract

“Giam” 巖 is a popular type of temple in Taiwan, also called “Giam-a”, referring to religious architecture related the concept of “mountains”. This type of temple was initially recorded as a geographical landscape or scenic attraction and was subsequently extended to indicate a specific form of worship space. This study explores the Giam architecture under the intervention of state power. The intervention process could be divided into two stages. The first stage involved the Investigation of Traditional Customs during the Japanese rule. The second stage involved interventions by the Buddhist Association of the Republic of China (BAROC) after World War II. This study depicts three significant Giam temple cases in Taiwan. From the perspective of spatial layout, architectural form, and ritual, discusses the development results of the Giam temple after the modern state system intervenes in religious affairs. Some Giam temples have made their choice between the folk beliefs and Buddhist beliefs as an adjustment, and others have still coexisted with both religious by separated them with spatial layout and different architectural style. The diverse sociocultural characteristic of the mountains makes the religious in it become the nexus of local power. So, as the state system and policy change, those religious spaces also need to change in some way, adjusting to balance the state and local power.