7 INCRIDIBLE TEMPLE IN MALAYSIA
1) Arulmigu
Balathadayuthapani Temple, Penang
The Balathandayuthapani
Temple, officially the Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Kovil, better known as
the Waterfall Hill Temple or “Thaneer Malai” by locals is a temple located
in George
Town Penang.The main deity of this temple is Murugan Visitors need to climb 513 stairs to reach the temple.
It is the focal point of the Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia, after the Batu
Caves.
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| Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple |
This
original site is as old as the founding of George Town itself. It was the site
of the Balathandayuthapani temple until 1850, when the authorities took over
the area to establish the Botanic Gardens Reservoir. That was when the
temple moved out, leaving at its original site a small shrine. After
the authorities took over the site of the original Balathandayuthapani Temple,
he temple was provided with a new eleven-acre hillside plot on the left side of
the Botanic Gardens Road. The temple grew to become the focus of the annual
Thaipusam celebrations. The
Balathandayuthapani temple has undergone several major renovations. This is in
keeping with the requirements of the Hindu religious tenets, that renovations
be done for every mamangam,
or 12-year cycle.Over the years, as the number of devotees and worshippers
increased, the Hindu Endowments Board found that the hilltop temple could no
longer accommodate the numbers. This is especially true in the past decade,
with more and more visitors converging on the temple particularly during the
Thaipusam celebration (other feast days of smaller scale include the Chitra Pournami, Kantha Sasthi, Thirukarthigai and Aadipournami). The new Arulmigu
Balathandayuthapani temple is planned to accommodate up to 700,000 visitors, a
number expected for every Thaipusam Festival. In keeping with its position as a
major Hindu temple, it will have a huge maha mandapam, the pillared outer hall in which public rituals
are performed.
Visitors
to the new Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple has an even longer climb than
before, but the view makes the effort worthwhile. With over 500 steps (some
estimates put the figure at 512 steps, though this is difficult to judge, as
there are more than one route to the top), it is longer than the 272 steps of
Batu Caves. The winding route allows you to stop several times to enjoy the
scenery.Half way to the top, you arrive at the Old Hill Top Murugan Temple, the
former site for the Thaipusam celebrations. Next to it is the Arulmamani
Arumugam Pillai Mandapam, a pavilion built in 1956. It acts as the staging area
for visitors and pilgrims. From here, you get a good view of the new Arulmigu
Balathandayuthapani Temple before you continue your ascend. As you climb
higher, the skyscrapers of Gurney Drive and eventually the rest of George Town
come into view.
2) Batu Caves Temple, Kuala Lumpur
One of the most popular Hindu temples outside India, Batu caves are a series of limestone caves with cave temples inside it. These caves are said to be 400 million years old and draw thousands of visitors from all around the world every year. The first of the biggest caves at the site is dedicated to Lord Murugan. One has to climb 272 steps inside the cave to reach the shrine. During the holy festival of Thaipusam, hordes of devotees come here to pay homage to Lord Murugan.
The Batu Caves serve as the focus of the Hindu community's yearly Thaipusam (Tamil: தைபூசம்) festival. They have become a pilgrimage site not only for Malaysian Hindus, but Hindus worldwide, from countries such as India, Australia and Singapore.
A procession begins in the wee hours of the morning on Thaipusam from the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur leading up to Batu Caves as a religious undertaking to Lord Muruga lasting eight hours. Devotees carry containers containing milk as offering to Lord Murugan either by hand or in huge decorated carriers on their shoulders called 'Kavadi'.The kavadi may be simple wooden arched semi-circular supports holding a carrier foisted with brass or clay pots of milk or huge, heavy ones which may rise up to two metres, built of bowed metal frames which hold long skewers, the sharpened end of which pierce the skin of the bearers torso. The kavadi is decorated with flowers and peocock feathers imported from India. Some kavadi may weigh as much as a hundred kilograms.After bathing in the nearby Sungai Batu (Rocky River), the devotees make their way to the Temple Cave and climb the flights of stairs to the temple in the cave. Devotees use the wider centre staircase while worshippers and onlookers throng up and down those balustrades on either side.When the kavadi bearer arrives at the foot of the 272-step stairway leading up to the Temple Cave, the devotee has to make the arduous climb.Priests attend to the kavadi bearers. Consecrated ash is sprinkled over the hooks and skewers piercing the devotees' flesh before they are removed. No blood is shed during the piercing and hair removal.
3)Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Midlands I-City
This
is located at an area formerly known as the Midlands Estate before the plantation
succumbed to the onslaught of development. According to the history, Ladang
Midlands was the first estate in 1889 to be planted with rubber in Selangor by
a British company called Highlands and lowlands. The history of its early years
is filled with stories of suffering which the pioneers had to endure. They were
probably the first Indian men in Selangor who ventured out with their families
to tame a wild landscape in the name of their British ”overlords” who
established vast tracts of plantation in the once dense rainforests of
Selangor. At one point of time, the estate was even called “ Ladang Air Kuning”
(Yellow Water Plantation) because the water supplied was yellow in colour.
Although
located at the original site, the temple visible today is not the original
structure built over a century ago. A beautiful new temple with 5 majestic Rajagopurams
modelled after the famed Madurai Meenatchi Amman temple is taking shape. This
Amman temple is easily visible from, the Batu Rasau tol plaza of the Federal Highway
near I-City.
4) Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Glass temple Johor Bahru
This temple started out as
a simple shelter on a land area that was donated by the Sultan of Johor in
1922.It has withstood the test of time until it was later rebuilt in 1991
through the efforts and initiatives of its current chairman and chief priest
who is known as Sri Sinnatham by Sivasamy who is considered as the driving
force in the development and management of this temple.
Earlier on, he had
inherited the administration of the temple from his father and had vowed to
rebuild it upon inheriting it. At the time, the temple was a humble hut that
the chief priest worked on until it was completely rebuilt and officially
opened in 1996.
The Guru, as he is
popularly known, stumbled upon the inspiration to rebuild the temple in one of
his various sojourns across the world. This was a trip to Bangkok. He was in a
tuk tuk (auto-rickshaw) when he saw a light whose brilliance was like that of a
diamond a few kilometers away from where he was.
He was informed by the
driver that source of the light was a temple and when he went near he found
that the light actually was from a glass artwork at the temple entrance which
had caught his eyes.
He was amazed at how such
a small piece of artwork could catch his attention at such a distance. This is
what inspired him to use the technique in the rebuilding of the temple’s
glassworks. He believed that a temple fully decorated with attractive glass
work will be able to attract devotees as well as visitors from around the
world.
The complete
transformation work on the temple, especially the glass fittings, began in 2008
and was completed a year later in 2009. From that time till now it has become
the nation’s number one spiritual tourist attraction site.
The temple has a series of chandeliers that play with the light
in a magical way and makes the temple look really magical. Light is reflected
in various areas including the pillars, the doors, walls and ceilings.
Nearly the whole temple is embellished with an array of about
30,000 pieces of glass of various shades and colors. The colors range from blue,
to green, red, yellow, purple or any other color that you can think of is found
here because the mixture of colors will always create new colors. This makes
the temple to be truly colorful.
The temple has also quite a number of
sculptures in its stead. The most evident one being the ones that are to be
found around the ceiling area of the temple. One of the sculptures appears to
be lying down and the other one seem to be in a crawling position.
5)Sri Shakti Devasthanam temple Bukit Rotan
There is a new attraction in Bukit Rotan, a magnificent temple
called the Sri Shakti Temple with finely sculpted stone walls and an
intricately decorated 5 tier gopuram entrance
tower. This must be one of the finest looking Hindu temples in Malaysia and may
well become a leading tourist attraction as its fame spreads in years to come.
The temple took four
years to build, apparently at a cost of RM12 million (which seems really good
value when you consider a prime bungalow in central KL can go for that amount).
Skilled craftsmen were brought in from India to work on the project.
To
the best of our knowledge, outside India, this is the only temple that includes
such delicate and intricate sculptural works. The
representations of the 51 Shaktis have been sculpted along the temple’s
internal corridor. These statues all face inwards. These statues
represent the 51 peedams of Shakti worship in the world.
These
51 Shakti peedams are found in regions that use to constitute ancient India.
They are located as follows
44
in India
3
in Nepal
1
in Pakistan
1
in Bangladesh
1
in Sri Lanka
1
in China
Earth
from these 51 Shakti peedams is being collected and will be placed inside the
pedestal where Mother Sri Maha Mariamman will be installed.
There
are 51 Aksharas (alphabets) in Sanskrit. They are also known as Maathruka
Aksharas. Each Akshara (or alphabet) represents 1 of the 51 Shaktis.
These
51 Shaktis have been installed in the temple’s inner corridor to continuously
bless the devotees who come to worship.
temple
will be the only place of worship where these 51 Shaktis have been installed in
a single venue.
6)Sri Sivasanggara Valmuni Vanamuni Temple
The temple dedicated for Lord Sivasanggara
Valmuni Vanamuni . This temple is located at Lot 5601,5602 Negeri Sembilan. The
temple is easily accessible via north and south highway, exit at the Port
Dickson plaza toll. The history behind the temple is formerly Sri Sivasanggara
Valmuni Vanamuni temple was in 5th mile of Jalan Tampin, senawang
(infront of petronas . The temple structure is made of wood and zinc roofing
(hut) the main deity is Sri Sivasanggara Valmuni Vanamuni and the three (sulam)
surrounding with a lot gods photo. During the time there only one person taking
care of the temple who is the temple priest.
The main attraction of the temple is Arul vakku
by the priest in trance. The priest goes in to trance for advice. Thousand of
people throughout the country and from all over the world have benefited from
the arul vakku. Many illness have been cured and shattered families have been
reunited. Furthermore , many couples was blessed with the opportunity to bear a
child, after not having for years. The temple is planned not to be mere temple
of worship , but one stop centre for social, self , morale , economy , cultural
development of hindus. But not only hindus but a lot of other races are also
taking part . Many projects or events has taken place such as blood donating
every year during the temple festival.
This is the most interesting and cute statue
the ‘ Sleeping Baby Shivan’ , at the length of 37 feet . Lovely piece of art .
All the toys seen are presented by devotees to this Baby Shivan.
The great Narashimma Avatar sitting at 8 feet
tall .There was a small locked room behind the Narashimma Statue, there is
locked room behind this Narashimma it is a air conditioning room full of tall
statues and a huge Shiva Lingga.
7)Om Sri Maha Athi Nageswary Amman Hindu Temple Puchong Gateway
Om Sri Maha Athi Nageswary Amman is one of the
most ornately decorated Hindu Temples in Selangor. It was officially
consecrated in February 2016. It replaced an earlier temple of the same name in
Jalan Serdang. t’s multi-coloured
eight-tiered gopuram is clearly visible to motorists using the
Lebuhraya Damansara- Puchong expressway near Puchong Gateway. Nagas are snakes that take human form and Nageswary Amman is
referred to as the Snake Goddess. There is another temple with a similar name
in Bangsar. It was built on the site of a snake mound and a pair of cobras
inhabit the mound and guard the temple’s inner sanctum. Perhaps there is a
snake nest at this site too.
The gopuram (multi-tiered,
pyramidal entrance tower) appears to have seven levels, the number seven
seemingly having some significance in this temple.
The temple is dedicated to the Snake Goddess Nageswari Amman
and a number of giant seven-headed cobra design pillars surround the emple with
deities sitting protected beneath the hoods of the cobra heads.
Another notable feature is a 65 feet high
Shiva Lingam, a symbol of Lord Shiva and source of mystical powers for Hindu
devotees. The lingam was shipped in from India together with 50 masons who
worked for years on creating and decorating the countless statues and motifs
adorning the temple.
There is a hall within the temple compound
where weddings and other functions can be accommodated.
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