Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas - Kek Lok Si Temple Penang Part 1 of 3

Picture 1

The Kek Lok Si Temple in Air Itam was our first stopover when we reached Penang Island. It is the one place that I always want to see whenever I am here. All my family members have visited this place before and I have been there a few times but at different stages of my life. Each visit is new experience for me. Some of the views have changed through the years, e.g. when I was there as a little kid, a student, a young working adult and now as a parent to my kids, but the magnificence of the structures, the awesome wonder of the whole place and the calmness I feel whenever I am in the pressence of the ever-compassionate Goddess of Mercy..... all these have never changed.

Kek Lok Si means "The Temple of Supreme Bliss". This temple is located on a hill. It is the largest Buddhist temple complex in Southeast Asia.

In the picture is the Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas. The history of Kek Lok Si started in 1890 when construction of the temple began. It was completed in 1930. This 7-tiered pagoda which took more than 20 years to build has a Chinese octagonal base, a Thai middle tier and a Burmese crown. It is here that I feel that no matter which Buddhism school we belong to, e.g. Theraveda or Mahayana or what religion, we are welcome to visit and /or pray to the gods. We don't have to go on a vegetarian diet before we enter the prayer halls.



Picture 2

 This prosperity pig is too sexy for me to miss as I passed by the souvenir shop at the hillside entrane of the Kek Lok Si complex.

Now we do not have to park our cars at the streets below and walk all the way up Kek Lok Si. We can drive up to the hill entrance where there are some parking lots. At this mid-level, there is a souvenir shop and a pathway that leads up to the main temple. There is also a Vegetarian Restaurant, a Liberation Pond and more souvenir shops at the lower level.



Picture 3

The corridors leading to the temple proper. There are still some beggars hanging around here but they did not hassle us. 

Picture 4

The beautiful courtyard beside the walkway where visitors can take some nice pictures.

Picture 5

This is the prayer hall. We made a donation towards the upkeep of this temple. For a small sum, they write our names on a piece of tile and my 2 kids were given a box of 500pcs puzzle each.

Picture 6

There are so many Kuan Yin statues on this wall.

Picture 7

These are some of the porcelain statues of the gods that we can buy for our altar at home.

“Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas - Kek Lok Si Temple Penang Part 1 of 3”, a copyrighted post, was written for Klang, Malaysia Daily Photo blog by Autumn Belle @ http://mymalaysiadailyphoto.blogspot.com/ on December 28th, 2010.

Picture 8

We passed by this statue of Buddha as we were walking up to the mid section of the temple grounds. I notice there are wheels symbols around the fence. I have read that wheels are sacred symbols of Buddhism, e.g. the Wheel of Life, Wheel of Truth, Wheel of the Cosmos, all symbolizing the noble and wisdom truths of Buddha's teachings.

Picture 9

Another view of the Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas against the cloudy but blue skies.

Picture 10

Inside this temple, there is a Buddha statue, and the Four Heavenly Kings. Two pairs of colourful Fu-Dogs guard the temple grounds.

Picture 11

The row of Buddha statues that seem to extend to infinity and to the heavens above.

Picture 12

This is the Pavilion of Seated Buddhas. I still remember this place where we had our group photo taken when I visited Kek Lok Si as a student.

Picture 13

At Kek Lok Si Temple, we can enjoy some scenic rooftop views of Penang island.


Additional information:

On normal days, the temple opening hours are from 8.30am to 5.30pm.

Night-time visits are only allowed during the first 28 days of the Chinese lunar calendar. During the Lunar New Year season, there will be an annual lighting ceremony where the temple will be lit up by thousands of decorative bulbs and lanterns, turning it into a fairy land.

This year the 119-year-old temple entered the Malaysia Book of Records for the tallest pavilion at 89.23m, the tallest bronze Goddess of Mercy (Kuan Yin) statue at 33.67m, and the tallest granite pillars at 42.24m.

For three nights from Chinese New Year’s eve on Jan 13, the entire temple was lit up from 7pm to 7am and on the third day of Chinese New Year to Chap Goh Meh on Feb 28, the lights were switched on from 7pm to midnight.

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