"Wooden carp drum" Top 5 Page for this destination Xiamen Favorite Tip by SLLiew

Favorite thing: At Nanputuo temple, this beautifully carved and brightly colored hanging carp drum caught my eyes.

It reminded me of the one in my hometown Penang at the Kek Lok Si temple. Similar wooden carp drums can be found in Buddhist temples from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China to Malaysia and Singapore.

The carp is also associated with the dragon in Chinese legend.

The wooden carp will be sounded at sunrise and sunset in many Buddhist temples. Often this is preceeded by the procession of monks to the main hall for prayers.