Culture of Batam Island. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

Just a few decades ago Batam Island was a land if fishers and artisans who used to live here in small villages. However, the island became a part of the free trade’s zone in 1989 and it had become one of the most popular resort destinations for travelers from all over the world. Anyway, you still can come and see a little local settlement which is far from the modern world. People here still build their houses as their ancestors did many centuries ago, they celebrate traditional holidays and they earn money by farming, fishing, and crafting. Teluk Mata Ikan and Bakau Serip are the most peculiar settlements on the island. There there are not only ancient houses and administrative buildings but also antique religious ones.

All who are keen on exotics definitely must visit the local refugee camp. It appeared here in the period of the Vietnam War. Nowadays, the abounded Vietnamese village has already been reconstructed and it looks just the way it always was. Now it’s a highly fascinating museum dedicated not only to the Vietnam War but to the Vietnamese culture and mode of life as well. You can see diverse traditional houses, farm buildings, a great variety of décor items, etc. here. Those who are interested in ancient buildings have to visit the Batam Miniature House – a small park near Golden City. You can see a great variety of stunning miniature buildings including traditional pagodas and Gothic cathedrals.

One more exceptional place of the island is the old-world Japanese cemetery called Nong Isa Cemetery Complex which is more than a few hundred years old. It was constructed in the 18th century and it has been reconstructed since then as needed. Talking about modern architecture, Samudra Dharma Temple is one of the most prominent. The Temple was designed in 1990 in the traditional East style. Now it attracts tourists not only with its bright colours, but its magnitude as well as it’s the biggest temple on the island. Here you can see twelve Zodiac signs and gorgeous statues representing Chinese Gods and mythical heroes. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Another building – Pura Agung Amerta Buana – is just a little bit smaller. It has no bright colours, just simple strict forms of gray stone. Even though it’s not the most popular temple here, it’s one of the oldest ones. Besides, it not just an example of typical Far East architecture, but it also includes a magnificent garden. It’s functioning, so anybody can come there and meditate or try to discover yogi. Tua Pek Kong Temple is a tremendously beautiful temple which is known for its bright and skillfully made statues of deities. And there is also a local school there. Moreover, you can buy everything you would need for a ritual on the territory of the temple. Besides, if you follow Buddhist or Taoist religion, you can also pray there.

Another special building is Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya Temple. It’s a white-gold building where there are about ten statues of Gotama. If you have time, visit Budhi Bhakti Temple. It’s a rather small temple which is a perfect option for families who want to have some rest from long trips and hiking. You can see various statues dedicated to the famous heroes of the East: there are very small ones as well as extremely big (twice higher than an ordinary human). What is more, there is a nice little garden with a fountain and a mini-waterfall. Muhammad Cheng Ho Mosque is quite unusual. It’s designed in the East style and it actually reminds Red Pagoda.

Baitul A'la Mosque is a typical Muslim building. It’s a functioning mosque, so any tourist can go there and enjoy seeing its appealing exterior decoration. Jabal Arafah Mosque is a huge building that proves that religion and modern technologies can actually be a worthy fusion. Batam Grand Mosque is also very peculiar. The mosque surprisingly combines traditional East motives and modern trends in architecture. One more dignified sight is the Barelang Bridge. It’s a significant construction which represents skills of modern architects. The bridge connects Batam Island, Rempang, and Galang.