Kuan Ti Temple at KL Chinatown

Today we are taking a walk along Jalan Tun HS Lee (labeled B) of Kuala Lumpur Chinatown which is the main road just behind the row of shop houses (labeled A). The buses and taxis are coming in along Jalan Sultan. The building on the right is Klang Bus Stand.

If we walk along Jalan Sultan from A to B, Jalan Tun HS Lee is the first main road we see at the junction. Take a left turn and soon we will reach the Kuan Ti Temple.

This is the entrance to the 121 year old Guan Ti Temple (关帝庙) or Kuan Ti Temple. As you walk into the Taoist temple, you will be greeted by 2 stone lions guarding the entrance. Chinese lions are used as protective symbols to ward off evil and killing energy. As you can observe here, the lions are not identical twins nor a couple. They are actually a family. The pair is usually placed quite high on a pedestal with the male positioned on the left side of the main door (inside looking out) and the female on the right. The male is usually seen with a ball. The female has a baby with her. Together they make a happy protective family that brings peace and prosperity to the homes or buildings that they guard.

The 2 gentlemen behind the the 2 dragons are Door Gods ( 門 神, Men Shen), also guardians of the temple. There are 2 more smaller lions behind them.

When you visit this temple, look also at the roof top. You shall see dragons and chi lins there.

Inside the temple, there is a service counter where joss sticks and incense are sold.

A colourful dragon coils around each of the 2 main pillars inside the temple.

Kuan Ti is the God of War & Literature and has many names. He is also known as Guan Gong, or Guan Yu. This deity is highly respected as the people's defender due to his righteous, loyal and heroic character. In Hong Kong, the police as well as triad members worship him. You can find his altar at police stations as well as underground triad associations halls. Businessmen worship him and you can also find him in many homes.

As a mark of respect for all temple deities, it is usually not recommended to take full view picture portraits of them.

The picture above shows the guan dao and guan jien (Kuan Di’s sword and spear) which are kept as a pair at an altar in the temple. To read more about this temple, please visit here.

There are some fruit stalls and food stalls beside the Kuan Ti temple. In this picture alone, you can see Malaysia's 3 main races, Chinese, Malay and Indian. Can you see the temple, slightly hidden on the right?

This is the Jalan Tun HS Lee Hawker Center located further up the road. Next to it is another coffee shop.

The Sri Mahamariamman Temple (built in 1873) is also located along this road. Currently it is undergoing some renovations and is therefore not opened to the public.

This is my entry for the fun and wonderful weekly memes, Scenic Sunday #71. To participate or view other pictures around the world, click here.