JAKARTA (Indo.com): Under the stunning heat, a young fair-skin lady in red opened a worn-out wooden box and a few moments later dozens of cheerful small birds flew to the sky, seeking a nearby tree on which they could perch. The relief-looking lady gazed at the blue sky, watching the flying birds. "Thanks God," she murmured.

The lady was one of the visitors who came to Chinese Temple, Jinde Yuan, now called Vihara Dharma Bhakti, to say a prayer. The release of the birds, which in Chinese is called fangsheng is part of the Chinese religious activities. "It represents an actualization of love," visiting worshipper David B. Susatyo told Indo.com. "According to our belief, all living creatures deserve love. So, those who help release any shackled living creature will get rewards from God," he added.

The temple has been seeing an increasing number of worshippers over the last several months following the government move to revoke the 1967 regulation banning any celebration of Chinese cultural and religious events. "With the government new policy, more Chinese worshippers come to the temple and pray without the feeling of fear or restraint as they used to. And as an expression of gratitude, more worshippers release birds," David said.

In the past, kelenteng was not recognized as a place of worship. "Under the New Order regime, followers of the Chinese religion could not conduct their religious activities freely. They were in a state of insecurity but now the country is conducive to the religious activities," he said.

Through Presidential Decree No. 6, 2000, Pesident Abdurrahman 'Gus Dur' Wahid announced the revocation of the 1967 regulation on January 18, 2000. Under the decree, Chinese Indonesians who want to express various aspects of their beliefs, culture, and their original traditions are no longer required to ask special permit from the government.

Visitors who come to the Temple are not confined to believers of Chinese religion covering Confucian, Buddhism and Taoism. "Visitors also include tourists, historians and researchers from China, Korea, Japan, the United States, German, England and the Netherlands. The temple is open to all, irrespective of differences of religion, ethnicity and race," he said.

Jakarta is a home to some 140 Chinese temples, some of them dating back to 1650s and declared protected buildings. Jinde Yuan and Da-bo-gong in the Ancol recreational part in North Jakarta are the two oldest extant temples in the capital.

Jinde Yuan temple considered the largest one in town is located on Jl. Petak Sembilan in West Jakarta. The kelenteng, a common term for Chinese temples throughout Java, stands firmly among the houses erected on a densely populated area and gives a bright look to the surroundings with its yellow and red ornaments. With a name meaning "Temple of Golden Virtue", it was built in 1755 by a Chinese Kapitein, a Dutch term for Captain given to Chinese leaders in the Dutch East Indies.

Basically, the temple covers three teachings, namely Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. "Kelenteng is an embodiment of the three teachings. This is unique because it covers three teachings that complement each other," David said.

Worshippers with burning incense stick will start praying in front of an altar for the Almighty God, the Creator, before entering the temple.

The smell of incense mingles with acrid odor of burning candles and 'hio' or incense stick greet you when you enter through the door of the main building.

Inside the temple above the main door, there is an effigy of the Sanguan Dadi or the "Emperors of the Three Realms -Heaven, Earth and Water" who is portrayed as three officials, all of the same size, wearing dark-colored costumes and headdresses.

In the center of the main building, the statue of Guanyin, placed inside a glass case, accompanied by statues of the three Buddhas at its back, which symbolizes a kind of Buddhist Trinity.

Eighteen statues of Shibo Luohan, the worthy followers of Buddha, nine on the left side and nine on the other, guard those deities. There is also QianShou Guanyin, Guanyin portrayed as having thousand arms.

The statues of other deities are placed in the left and the right wings outside the main building.

People never cease entering the temple from its opening at 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. when it closes. Around 500 people beseech the deities each day. The number may reach over 1000 during special events like the eve of coming of Sin Cia or the Chinese New Year and the birthday of Guanyin which falls on the 19th of the 6th lunar month.

People praise the deities for several reasons. For example, they may be seeking safety, prosperity, fertility and so on. One of the most adorable deities is Guanyin or the so-called Goddess of Mercy. The statue of this main deity is placed on the main altar in the center of the building.

Temple Da-bo-gong Miao in the Ancol recreational park in North Jakarta is said to be unique because Muslims, including native Indonesians, also visit there. The building has been restored several times, with the current structure dating from around the 18th century, historian Adolf Heuken was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying.

Unlike other temples, the names engraved beneath the statues of the Da-bo-gong's deities are not Chinese, as one might expect, but Indonesian --- Ibu Sitiwati, Ibu Enneng, Ibu Mone and Embah Said Areli Dato Kembang.

Both Muslims and Chinese people visited the temple because "it is a kelenteng ( Chinese temple) but at the same time a kramat (sacred place) to Muslims," Heuken wrote in his book Historical Sites in Jakarta.

If the lady in red released the birds in front of kelenteng, let's say five years ago, she might not have been able to do it as freely as she does now.