Temple of love

The fountain at the center of the front yard of the Temple of Leah is a favorite “selfie” spot. —PHOTOS BY TONEE DESPOJO/CEBU DAILY NEWS

CEBU CITY—People dub it as this city’s Taj Mahal.   Like the popular tourist attraction in India, the Temple of Leah was built to immortalize a man’s love for his wife.

The landmark in India was built in the 1600s by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in honor of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Businessman Teodorico Adarna meanwhile built the seven-story temple in the mountains of Busay as a tribute to his wife, Leah, who died of cancer in 2010.

The grand edifice that sits on a 5,000-square meter property overlooking the city recalls the Adarna couple’s marital bliss, and fulfilled the businessman’s promise to gather his wife’s various collections under one roof.

“This is a structure that expresses my father’s devotion to my mother,” said Leah’s stepson, Teodorico’s namesake, who is fondly called Jumboy. It was originally planned as a rest house for her, he added.

Built along Roman and Grecian architectural lines, the temple has 24 chambers that house Leah Adarna’s vast collection of treasure chests, books, Persian carpets, Buddha heads, Chinese vases and jars, and figurines she had amassed from her travels abroad. The collections came from at least seven houses where she had stayed throughout her life.

A 2.74-meter bronze statue of Leah Adarna greets visitors entering the temple’s main doorway.

Ellen Adarna

Among these treasures are the baby pictures of actress Ellen Adarna, Leah’s granddaughter. The actress’ father, Alan Modesto, is the oldest son of the Adarna couple, who owns the popular motel chain here, Queensland, and a construction firm.

Aside from Alan, Teodorico has three other children with Leah: Arlene Mae, Arthur Edward and Alec Teodoro.  He also has children with other women, among them Jumboy, 37.

Leah treated him like her own, Jumboy said. “I only learned that she was not my biological mother when I was a young adult. I started living with her when I was only a week old,” he added.

When Leah got sick, Jumboy became her constant companion to her treatment sessions. She died on Jan. 4, 2010, eight days after her 69th birthday.

The temple was opened to the public in 2012, a year after construction started. The 24 chambers however remain closed, with Leah’s collections available for viewing only through the window grills.

Initially, the family did not collect fees from tourists and guests to the temple. Later, they decided to charge each adult visitor a P50 entrance fee, since some people were loitering in the premises and vandalism had become an issue.

The temple sits on a 5,000-square meter property in Barangay Busay that offers a panoramic view of Cebu City.

Bronze statue

Visitors to the temple are greeted by huge columns and two gigantic lions seemingly looking out at the city’s panoramic view. At the main structure, two bronze lions and two angels stand guard. A fountain at the center of the front yard features three naked women and horses.

Near the doorway, in the middle of a grand staircase, stands Leah’s 2.74-meter (9 feet) bronze statue, its pose taken from her photo as the matron queen of her alma mater, the University of Southern Philippines.

Near the statue is a bronze tablet where the Adarna patriarch acknowledged those who had helped take care of his wife and those who had assisted him in the temple’s construction.

At least 500 people visit the temple on weekdays, with double that number on weekends.

Among them were Ruddy and Marilou Berondo from Isabela, Basilan, who read about the temple on social media.

“It’s praiseworthy (that) a man would construct this temple for his wife. He used his wealth to share to the world his love and devotion to her. Many rich people would choose to hide their wealth. Mr. Adarna is not one of them,” Marilou said.

The temple remains under construction, with 77-year-old Teodorico himself supervising it, said Jumboy. The long-term plan, he said, was to transfer Leah’s remains to the temple named after her.

“This will be his last project and then he will retire and live in Davao,” Jumboy said of his father.

One of the bronze lions guarding the entrance of the Temple of Leah

Teodorico and Leah Adarna on their wedding day