Jalan Balik Pulau, Penang, Malaysia
Daily: 8.30am - 5.30pm
The largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia is located in Penang, in the suburb of Air Itam (lit. Black Water) that's located approximately 6 km from the city centre of George Town. An important pilgrimage centre for Buddhists from Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, Kek Lok Si roughly means 'Temple of Supreme Happiness'.
From Komtar Bus Terminal, my group took Bus 204. Each of us paid
RM 2.00 (~S$0.65) for the journey that took slighly less than 40 minutes.
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| Just a cow basking in the morning sun~ |
The Moovit app should come in handy when you're taking a bus. You need to drop off at the bus stop called Kek Lok Si and walk about 1.3 km to reach the temple complex.
The construction of the entire complex took place over a period of time from 1890 to 1930.
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| I happened to bring my pretty little tortoise around. |
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| They're both reptiles, but are they friends? |
Let's climb up the stairs.
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| I wonder why did they cover the statue of the giant tortoise. |
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| What do the wise old men say? |
We decided to take the inclined lift to reach the next tier of the temple complex. A one-way ticket costs RM 8.00 (~S$2.60).
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| It's said that all proceeds go to the fund for the building and maintenance of the temple complex. |
The first inclined lift brought us up in less than 3 minutes if I remember correctly.
A buggy brought us to a gift shop and the second inclined lift.
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| It was a 2-minute ride on the second inclined lift. |
Do enjoy the view from up there.
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| Where tradition meets modernity~ |
Witness the world's tallest statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of mercy, that was completed in 2002.
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| The height of the bronze statue is 30.2 m. |
Let's take a look at the interior of one of the smaller halls.
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| If you were only to pick one, which one would you go for? |
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| Different versions state different number of arms that Guanyin has. |
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| Elephant is a symbol of strength and wisdom. |
There's a small park nearby where you can relax and calm your soul.
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| A photo with my spirit animal is a must! |
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| Would you like to sit with the dogs or the pigs? |
From there, we made our way to the majestic Avalokiteshvara Hall.
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| Such elaborate relief! |
The majestic Avalokiteshvara Hall is where three Bodhisattvas are seated.
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| It's said that during Chinese New Year, the temples are adorned by thousands of multi-coloured LED lights. |
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| Such a lovely ceiling, don't you think? |
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| There are hundreds, or probably thousands, of those small Buddha figurines inside the hall. |
There's an ascending path near the Avalokiteshvara Hall that leads to more smaller temples.
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| Looking at the appearance, I suppose that's a statue of Asura. |
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| It's not exactly symmetrical, but still so satisfying to see. |
We came across another ornate hall.
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| Did you notice the shiny, highly reflective floor? |
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| How does it feel to have achieved the state of enlightenment, I wonder? |
Don't miss out the unique pagoda called Ban Pho Tar (lit. Pagoda of the Ten Thousand Buddhas).
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| There's a small entrance fee of RM 2.00 (~S$0.65) to enter the pagoda and its surrounding landscaped garden. |
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| What a happy-looking tortoise! |
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| Feeling pretty, little doggy? |
The pagoda features a combination of Chinese octagonal base, Thai elements for the middle tier and a Burmese spiral dome.
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| The seven-storey pagoda is 30 m tall. |
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| Interestingly, there are aquariums filled with tropical fishes on the first floor of the pagoda. |
If you can, do climb all the way to the topmost floor.
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| Those are Thai style Buddha figurines. |
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| It's a Burmese style sleeping Buddha statue. |
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| Be rewarded with the breathtaking vista from up there. |
After a fun morning of exploration, we had quite a good lunch at the vegetarian restaurant within the temple complex.
Kek Lok Si Temple is definitely one of the highlights of my Penang trip.
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