A towering statue
Over twenty metres.
A Chinese Buddhist temple in Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra's second city, known for a towering statue of Guanyin, the figure of mercy in Chinese Buddhist tradition, rising more than twenty metres and described as one of the tallest of its kind in Southeast Asia, standing white on a high plinth in the temple courtyard. Around the statue are halls with curving red roofs, neat gardens and other statues, and followers come from across the region on festival days. The place is quiet and clean. Entry is free, with modest dress and respect for worshippers. Siantar lies on the main road from Medan to Parapat and Lake Toba, about an hour from the lake, so the temple is a short stop on the way, along with the town's eateries known for their bread and coffee.
Over twenty metres.
Chinese halls.
To Lake Toba.
Pematang Siantar, on the Medan-Parapat road
Pematang Siantar, roughly halfway, with this temple and well-known eateries; those taking the Berastagi route pass Sipiso-piso waterfall and the Pematang Purba palace.