The Chicken Temple is located on the Island of Java, where the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, is located. Located in the Indonesian forests, the temple attracts attention with its chicken-like appearance and interesting story. There are many interesting temples in Indonesia, the archipelago country of 17508 islands. The temple, which was built in the 90s, is known as Gereja Ayam “Chicken Church” among the locals.
Many comments have been made about the interesting-looking temple, which attracts great attention from tourists, and many theories have been put forward. Some claim that it was built by Dutch colonialists, while others argue that the building is cursed. It is claimed that the temple was taken over by vampire-like female demons in Indonesian culture. The story of the temple, for which many different theories have been put forward, is quite different.
The Interesting Story of the Chicken Temple
The temple was built in the 1990s by Daniel Alamsjah. Based on the dreams he had, Daniel Alamsjah realized this temple, which he considered as the “Pigeon Temple”. But the temple creates an image that looks more like a chicken than a dove. Daniel Alamsjah dreamed of a snow-white dove landing on a hill. After seeing his dreams, which he did not take very seriously at first, he started to research. Meanwhile, he encountered a verse in the Bible, the verse; “In the last days, the mountain of the temple of the Lord will be set up as the highest of the mountains; it will rise above the hills, and all nations will flow into it”. On this verse, he accepted that his dreams were a real call from God.
In his dream, he tells that God wanted him to build a temple where people of all religions would be accepted. He realized that Rhema Hill, which he went to by chance to watch the sunset, was the hill he saw in his dreams. Thereupon, he bought a plot of land on the hill and started to build the temple he saw. Although he did not have any architectural experience, he prepared the project of the temple and designed it himself.
Although his dream temple was in the shape of a dove, it began to be called the “Chicken Temple” because the resulting work had a chicken-like structure. Daniel, a Christian, thought of the temple as a place of worship open to all, not designed for any particular faith. The temple, which he started to build in 1989, could not finish due to economic problems and local problems. The temple is not a church, but a place where people of all religions can worship or meditate. But it is accepted as a church by the local people.
The construction of the unfinished temple stopped completely in the 2000s. The 2nd and 3rd floors of the temple were not built, and the underground part was mostly left unfinished. Later on, it was used as a rehabilitation center for children with disabilities, drug addicts and mental patients brought from the center where Daniel worked at the rehabilitation center.
Towards the middle of 2010, the temple, which attracted great attention by tourist groups, gained touristic value. Thereupon, action was taken to finish the unfinished construction and the interior of the building was completed. Today, there are paintings on the walls telling the history of Indonesia. At the base of the temple are beautiful jeweled tiles. The temple, which attracts great attention by tourists, is also among the places preferred by newlyweds to have their wedding photos taken.
