Temple Splendour in Penang

Hailed as the Temple of Supreme Bliss, the exquisite Kek Lok Si temple is one of
Penang’s most famous icons. Its sprawling structures crown the hilislope where the temple sits in full splendour and grandeur.

Yearly, more than a million visitors flock to this widely acclaimed tourist attraction.
If you are looking for a spectacular view of the nearby town of Air Itam and George Town, you have come to the right place. Soak in the view, breathe in the crisp air and capture your favourite vista on film.

Access to the temple is via a long flight of steps lined with stalls selling souvenirs and traditional Penang food­stuffs.

The most prominent structures of the temple are the seven-storey Rama VI Pagoda (named after the Thai King who laid the foundation stone) or Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas, and the 30.2m-high bronze statue and shrine of the Goddess of Mercy (Guan Yin) located on the hillslope above the pago­da.

The pagoda, said to be the largest in the country combines Chinese, Thai and Myanmar architectural styles. Alabaster and bronze Buddhas can be seen while ascending a spiral stair­case.

Beside the big Goddess of Mercy statue are five Thai-imported Buddha statues and a charming Chinese pavil­ion built in the centre of a pond teem­ing with Japanese carps.
Two inclined glass lifts now link the temple’s lower station near the pagoda with the upper station at the Guan Yin statue.

Temple trustee Datuk Steven Ooi says the lifts were imported from Italy at a cost of RM4mil. They have a max­imum speed of 96m per minute and each lift can carry up to 30 people.
It takes less than two minutes for it to cover the 120m climb.
“These are the only ones of their kind in Malaysia,” he says.

The temple is a sight to behold a week before Chinese New Year when it is lit up with thousands of red and yel­low lanterns and coloured lights.

The construction of Kek Lok Si was mooted by the Venerable Beow Lean, the chief monk of the Goddess of Mercy Temple in Jalan Masjid Kapitan Ke­ling in George Town.

The hill in Air Itam has always been regarded as geomantically auspicious. It is known as He S/ian (Crane Hill) because it resembled the bird spread­ing its wings.

Because of this, the chief monk de­cided that it had the right feng shui for a Buddhist temple.
Work on the temple started in the 1890s but it was only in 1930 that the pagoda was completed.