Temples in Malaysia (scenic places)

amazed

2008/02/04
Cave temples 'can rival Angkor Wat'
By Jaspal Singhj

IPOH: With the right kind of promotion, the unique cave temples in the Kinta Valley can put the former tin capital of the world on the international spiritual heritage trail along with Borobudor and Angkor Wat.

The more than 30 temples nestled in the valley's limestone outcrops have been drawing domestic tourists for years. They come to pay obeisance to the numerous deities, or simply to marvel at the exquisite structures.

Benita Premchand, of Kuala Lumpur, has conducted extensive research on the caves and she says that more effort should be made to draw foreign tourists to the limestone outcrops and cave temples.

Be it the 300-odd steps of the Perak Tong in Jalan Kuala Kangsar, or the scores of deities at the Kek Look Tong in Jalan Gopeng, she says these beautiful structures could be packaged attractively and promoted as part of the world spiritual heritage trail.

"The Kinta Valley, especially the stretch between north and south Ipoh, has the highest concentration of cave temples in the country. Arguably, this is the most diverse and vibrant use of caves anywhere in the world.

"These temples are unique to the Kinta Valley and in the last 150 years, their existence has enriched the historical, religious, social, cultural and spiritual lives of people in the valley."



The Bournemouth University graduate had spent the last five years collecting data on every cave temple in the valley through interviews with monks and senior citizens and browsing scarce reference materials from religious organisations.

She says promoting the cave temples as part of the world spiritual heritage trail package would not be difficult.

The spiritual heritage of the valley dates back almost 1,400 years, as evidenced from the idols and prayer items found when miners were digging for tin.

"If the tourism players were to include these temples and the natural limestone hills in their tourism package, it can be Perak's best-selling product."

[ Last edited by  amazed at 20-1-2009 11:01 PM ]

amazed

Kong Fook Ngam



Kong Fook Ngam



Kwan Ying Tong



Kek Look Tong



Kek Look Tong garden



incense coil

amazed

Ling Sen Tong



Ling Seng Tong



Perak Tong



Sam Poh Tong



Sam Poh Tong



Sam Poh Tong

amazed

There are many cave temples in around the city of Ipoh in the Kinta Valley. The two temples mentioned in all the guide books are Sam Poh Tong and the Perak Cave Temple. There are more than 40 additional temples.

There is one Indian temple, the SRI SIVA SUBRAMANIUM. The neighbouring Chinese temple, KONG FOOK NGAM was established in 1884.

In recent years the caretaker has been digging out the cave sediments to extend the cave, following instructions given to him by a goddess in a dream. RM2 entry to the extended section.

Nearby a Thai monk lives in a house accessed through a cave tunnel, and devotees are allowed to visit on a Sunday. Further along the hill a Thai nun has been digging out a cave to establish a small temple, lit by candles.

SAM POH TONG is the most famous. There is a small pond full of turtles which people feed and an ornamental rock garden. At the back is a crematorium and columbarium.

This temple is particularly busy during the time of the Chinese All Souls festival. The neighbouring NAM THEAN TONG was estabished in 1867. A series of steps leads up to the upper chambers.

LING SENG TONG is next door and is a small chamber filled with black smoke from the offerings. KEK LOOK TONG is one of the newest and most opulent of the Rapat temples. It consists of one large chamber which runs through the hill.

There are large gold statues of Buddha and the walls are covered with marble tiles. KWAN YIN TONG is a smaller temple alongside the main road. There are numerous smaller temples on this hill, both Buddhist, Chinese and Thai.

Behind the new "Lost World - Sunway City" complex is the SAI BABA temple, which is only open on Sundays. Dedicated to Sai Baba, it also houses statues from the Buddhist, Taoist and Catholic faiths.

LOONG TOW NGAM is the oldest temple in Perak, established in 1854. The remains of an old wooden house can be seen clinging to the cliff face.

PERAK CAVE TEMPLE is an important temple, and one of the most famous, established in 1926. Inside are a couple of large chambers full of statues and paintings, and stairs lead up to the top of the hill, where small pavilions have been constructed. There is also a crematorium and columbarium.

TUNG WAH TEMPLE on Gunung Layang Layang is reached by a flight of steps. The main chamber is filled with an altar and many statues. A small narrow staircase leads to the top of the hill used by monks for meditation.




yang part  Sam Poh Tong ... tu  aku gelak aje..  sebab close to sam pah tong  (or tong sam pah) macam tak dak nama lain  ek

ijad_adiputera

owhhh aku dah pegi tempat nih..
Lawa siut...
masa tu ada rombongan sekolah ke Ipoh...
lawat sekali ke tempat nih...

amazed

Friday April 4, 2008
Dragonfish lures crowd to temple
By SIMON KHOO

SITUATED in the farthest end of a housing estate called Hutan Setali, off Jalan Haji Ahmad in Kuantan, is a Chinese temple with a unique attraction.

The Sun San Seen See temple is well known among locals for it five kui loong fish (literally translated as dragonfish) in its premises.

Temple caretaker S. Rajasingam, 38, said the fishes were brought by a close friend nine years ago.

Some of the deities at the Sun San Seen See temple in Kuantan.

He said the fish were 3m long and could grow to 10m, similar to the araipaima, one of the largest scaled freshwater fish in the world.

揟hese giants consume 10kg of fish a day and I can afford to feed them only once a day.

揑t costs RM200 every three days to buy fish in bulk from wholesalers,

amazed

Tuesday January 20, 2009
A scenic place for prayers
By SIMON KHOO

PEACE and quiet prevails at the Wan Fo Tien temple or the “Ten Thousand Buddhas’ Hall” in Jalan Bukit Ubi in Kuantan most of the day.
However, the temple is a hive of activity almost every evening when scores of devotees visit it to pay homage to the deities or just to enjoy the scenic view of the surroundings or to feed the fishes and tortoises in the ponds with bread crumbs.


Scenic: An aerial view of the pond at the Wan Fo Tien temple in Jalan Buki Ubi, Kuantan.


Pahang Buddhist Association chairman Hor Chin Sim said that the temple had undergone upgrading and beautification for the benefit of visitors.
He said about RM300,000 raised from the public was used to import statues from the Fujian province in China.
“Besides the statues of the 18 immortals, we also have statues of little monks placed at strategic spots.


At the entrance: A stone sign at the Wan Fo Tien temple.


“Our aim is to remind the people of the teachings of Buddha and to make the premises more attractive to visitors.
“We also intend to build a bridge across the pond and will look for the necessary funds,” he said.
Hor said presently they were in the midst of completing the expansion of a RM2mil haemodialysis centre.


Regal: A statue of the Goddess of Mercy at the temple.

He said the building was expected to be ready soon and that 32 dialysis machines would be made available to 42 registered patients.

“The centre will benefit the poor and needy of all races who are suffering from renal diseases.
“It will operate in three shifts as the number of people diagnosed with kidney failure is increasing yearly,” he said.


Fishes come out to play: A fish pond at the Wan Fo Tien temple.


Hor said other community activities held throughout the year include motivation talks, youth training camps and a blood donation drive.
He said religious talks led by its adviser Venerable Sik Ji Xing were also held for the benefit of non-bumiputras trainees from at least four National Service camps.

“Our yearly religious activities are dharma talks, meditation classes for adults and dharma classes for children,” he said.

For rest: One of the huts for visitors.

The temple also organises activities and fund-raising programmes during special occasions like Wesak Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The RM8mil temple administered by the association was set up in 1967.

Its main attraction is a 5.5m high statue of Buddha made of a piece of white Han jade imported from Sichuan province and sculptured in Beijing, China.
The walls of the main prayer hall are decorated with 15,743 pieces of tiles with the image of Buddha on each piece.