Cebu's Taj Mahal

What's up Hivers!

In my previous blog, I visited a castle and this time I visited a temple, the Temple of Leah. My family and I went and we built new memories.

It was my first visit to a temple and I was ecstatic. I've also heard a romantic story about the temple. So, before we get into the details of our tour, let's first discuss the temple and its history.

Based on my research About Temple of Leah
Dubbed as the Taj Mahal of Cebu, the Temple of Leah has been attracting foreign and local tourists for its Roman-inspired architectural shrine. Unlike India’s Taj Mahal, it is not a mausoleum but serves as home to the treasures and memorabilia of the late Leah Albino Adarna, the grandmother of Filipina actress Ellen Adarna.

Temple of Leah's History
More than its appealing structure, what draws people to visit Temple of Leah Cebu is the love story of a couple that has been melting hearts of so many travelers.

Businessman Teodorico Adarna dedicated the temple to his wife, Leah, of 54 years. She died of lung cancer in 2012 at 69. They started their family at a young age. Leah was 16 and Teodorico was 19 when they got married. They had four children—Allan, Arlene, Arthur (deceased) and Alex; and 16 grandchildren, including actress Ellen Adarna.

The construction of Leah Temple started in 2012 and is yet to be finished. Teodorico reportedly spent 80 million pesos to put up this temple as a symbol of his undying love for Leah. The temple is meant to be a place for Leah’s items and collections gathered from her travels, as Teodorico promised her before she died. He promised that he will store all her things in one roof.

Before, the Adarna family were not collecting fees to enter the temple but later on, they decided to collect PHP 100 per person as some people started to loiter and vandalize the place.

Temple of leah

Now that we've learned about the temple's history, let me tell you about what I saw when I visited it. After we got off the van we noticed a big name board with the temple's name on it on the left side of the gate as well as two large statues on each side of the entry. Others were not able to take a picture with us because they were paying the entrance fee.

There was a gentle slope leading to the temple when we entered. There were flowers on each side and it was a cloudy morning when we arrived so it wasn't too hot.

When we reached the end there was a large open area with benches, tables and chairs with large umbrellas where people could rest and relax and the panorama was so beautiful that it almost made me cry.

The weather, the scenery, the trees, the cloudy blue sky, the stunning structure of the temple and the amazing classical sculptures were all breathtaking.

The temple is flanked by massive Roman posts giving the impression that you are in the Roman era, even the colors of the stairs and the posts, the whole building gives you a post-classical mood.

The whole floor inside was covered in large ninja star designed tiles in black, gray, light brown and off-white colors.

Because the building was still going on when we arrived, there were several areas that appeared untidy. With my two children on it, the posts on the side, and the wonderfully laid tiles on the floor, this passage (don't mind the back section) looks lovely.

Once you've entered the temple, you'll see this. Two doors on either side of the grand staircase, two gold colored statues of angels playing trumpet beside the staircase and a large gold sculpture with a medieval stained glass design on its back over the grand staircase in the middle. Above it is the ceiling, which is made out of glass panels that allow natural light to shine through. Following the statue in the middle, the grand staircase is separated into two sections, one on the left and one on the right each with its own set of doors at the end.

This is me and my mother-in-law we took a photo together, the shot looked fantastic because of the sunlight that came in from the glass panels above.

There was a large round shaped tile in the temple's center and another medium circle within it with the temple's name on it. I asked my kids to strike a pose there and that's the result, they're adorable.

When you glance back from within the temple, you'll see the large open area, the sky, and the sea and it appeared like you could see half of Cebu from up there.

The scenery is so beautiful that you can't help but stop and admire it, wishing you could see it every day.

Before you come down, you'll find this gold lion statue facing back, which I took a photo with my husband. In the middle of the open space you can see sculptures of three women above and horses below fill out the lower portion. I think it's supposed to be a fountain.

I can't wait to return and because we arrived at a time when building was in progress, I'd like to return to see what's new and how the site has improved.

This is a place I highly recommend because it is one of Cebu's most popular tourist destinations. The breathtaking backdrop of the place is in addition to the lovely story of this temple.

That's all for this blog. Thank you for sparing your time visiting my blog. Adios!