Kek Lok Si Temple - The Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas
Kek Lok Si Temple or The Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddha is one of the unique places to visit in Penang. Kek Lok Si simply means "Joy of the highest" in Hokkien which is the home town Chinese dialect of Penang. It the largest Buddhist temple in Penang and there are 2 most prominent architectural structures that has made Kek Lok Si a landmark for tourist from all over the world. These are the seven storey pagoda main temple which houses a remarkable 10,000 Buddha and the giant Goddess of Mercy statue, standing 30.2 meter tall on the hill just above the unique pagoda temple.
It is an historic building indeed, being built in 1890, master mined by a local monk with the support from the Emperor of Guangxu China who sent 70,000 copies of its royal Buddhist manuscript as a gift to the temple. The temple was completed in 1930. It has a Buddhism octagonal shape with influence from Mahayana and Theravada religion from India. The crown shape of the pagoda roof resembles that of a Burmese traditional coronet. A recent addition to Kek Lok Si temple in 2009 has been the unique, elegantly decorated covering for the Goddess of Mercy statue. The marvelous artwork of 16 dragon pillars with its ornate octagonal roof and glass shelter makes it a must see section when visiting the Kek Lok Si temple.
Ascending uphill towards Kek Lok Si temple you will find many souvenir shops along the way. A section of the path lie a Liberation pond filled with life tortoises. The Chinese like the sound of releasing freedom to live creatures as part of their superstitious belief to gather more good deeds in one's life. Kek Lok Si temple is indeed a symbol for the Buddhist and Chinese community in Penang. Honest crowd of people will flock in during Chinese New Year to do their rituals and praying in the temple. The temple is heavily decorated with bright red lanterns and lightings during this festive season which lasted for 30 days in the Chinese lunar calendar. This not only attracts the local but tons of foreigners also come here to view the attractive illumination from Kek Lok Si Temple that offer them great opportunity to snap some marvelous photos to bring home to their respective countries.
Kok Lok Si temple is a holy ground for the Buddhist. Thus visiting this temple entails the respect of rules within the temple. Among the halls of prayers, one should keep their voices at a low level at all times as a way to show respect to the Buddhist statue and Chinese gods that lies within. Do take off your shoes when entering the hall and do not take photograph of the sacred statues if there is a no-photos sign around. Try to wear clothes without revealing much flesh as a sign of respect in the temple. Do not simply touch the delicate wooden carvings and the paintings on the temple wall as you might spoil them unintentionally all these are part and puzzle when visiting holy Chinese temples.
About the Author
Langkawi Coral promote Green Tourism, environmentally resposnsible travel to natural areas to appreciate nature and promote conservation, and sustain the well being of local people. We share with tourists not only the best of Penang and Langkawi in nature and adventure but also the importance of conservation to preserve rich natural splendors in Malaysia. Check out more at http://langkawicoral.com
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