本廟奉祀神祇介紹 About the Deities

▲鎮殿媽祖福鎮媽

1. 天上聖母（媽祖娘娘）Ma-Tsu

媽祖姓林閨諱默娘，福建省興化府蒲田縣湄州嶼人，祖先代代為官，父諱愿，官都巡檢，母王氏，夫妻慈祥樂善，為一對虔誠之佛教徒，育有一男，五女，因長子體弱，日夜祈禱神佛庇佑再生一子，某夜母夢觀音菩薩賜一藥丸吞服後，即有孕，乃於宋太祖建隆元年〈西年九六零年〉歲次庚申年三月二十三日，這位被世人敬仰之媽祖誕生了，誕生時紅光繞室，異香氤氳。至彌月未聞哭聲，故曰默娘。

Ma-Tsu, surnamed Lin with the courtesy name Moniang, was a native of Meizhou Island, Putian County, Xinghua Prefecture, Fujian Province. Her ancestors had been officials for generations. Her father's name was Yuan, who served as a patrol inspector, and her mother's surname was Wang. The couple were devout Buddhists and had one son and five daughters. Worried about their sickly eldest son, they prayed fervently to the deities and Buddhas for another son. One night, the mother dreamed that Guanyin Bodhisattva gave her a medicinal pill to swallow, and she soon became pregnant. Ma-Tsu was born in the 23rd day of the 3rd month of the Gēng-Shēn year during the Baoning era of the Song Taizu (960 AD). At her birth, the room was filled with red light and a fragrant aroma, and she did not cry at all, hence the name Moniang (Silent Girl).

幼時聰慧，讀書過目成誦，能悟奧義，十歲與母焚香誦經禮佛，十三歲玄通禪師授予玄微秘法，得悟諸要，十六歲窺井得符，參透禪機，通曉妙用，此後以佛法驅邪除惡，治病救人，並能呼風喚雨，救護海難船隻，祈雨濟民，屢顯神異，尊稱為『通寶靈女』。

From a young age, Ma-Tsu was intelligent and could memorize books after a single reading, comprehending the profound meanings. At age 10, she burned incense, recited sutras, and worshiped the Buddha with her mother. At 13, the Zen master Xuantongi imparted to her the esoteric Xuanwei teachings, which she fully grasped. At 16, she peered into a well and obtained a talisman, penetrating the essence of Zen. Thereafter, she used Buddhist teachings to exorcize evil spirits, heal the sick, summon wind and rain, and rescue ships in distress at sea, displaying extraordinary divine powers and earning the title "Divinely Endowed Spiritual Maiden".

宋太宗雍熙四年〈西元九八七年〉歲次丁亥年九月九日重陽節，向家人辭別，登上湄山，竟脫凡入聖，成道為神，昇天後常顯靈救世濟人，故奉為聖神，事聞於朝廷，乃歷代均有褒封，清康熙加封為『天上聖母』。乾隆時旨勒列入祀典。

On the Double Ninth Festival of the Ding-hai year in the 4th year of the Yongxi era of Song Taizong (987 AD), she bade farewell to her family and ascended Mount Mei, transcending the mortal realm and becoming a deity. After her ascension, she continued to manifest her divine powers to save the world, so she was revered as a holy deity. The imperial court bestowed honors upon her through successive dynasties, and during the Qing Kangxi era, she was granted the title "Heavenly Empress Mother". The imperial edict of the Qianlong Emperor ordered that worshiping Heavenly Empress Mother be included in the sacrificial rites.

2. 中壇元帥（太子爺）Marshal of the Central Altar (Nezha)

哪吒太子、太子爺、三太子、哪吒公、太子元帥、火輪天王、通天太師、威靈顯赫大將軍、三壇海會大神，道教頭銜為中壇元帥。民間信仰中，哪吒太子為多數廟宇為五營神將之領導者，統領兵將兵馬鎮守寺廟及村莊四方，多在廟宇居中位置，故稱中壇元帥。

Nezha or sometimes Nezha the Crown Prince, is a protection deity in Taoism, Buddhism, and Chinese folk religion. His official Taoist name is "Marshal of the Central Altar”. In folk beliefs, Prince Nezha is the leader of the five camps of guardian gods in most temples. He commands invisible guardian gods to guard temples and villages. He is usually located in the center of the temple, so he is called the Marshal of the Central Altar.