Kek Lok Si Temple, Penang is situated on the hill in Air Itam in Penang. It is a Buddhist temple and is one of the best known temples on the island of Penang. The temple construction started in 1893 which was inspired by the main monk of the Goddess of Mercy Temple at Pitt Street. The consular representative of China in Penang gave support to the project through Manchu Emperor Guangxu. The emperor gave a table along with 70,000 volumes of the Imperial Edition books of the Buddhist Sutras. The main benefactor of the Kek Lok Si Temple, Penang in 1906 was Kapitan Chung Keng Quee.The construction work is still going on at the temple.
The founder as well as the first Abbot of Kek Lok Si was Beow Lean, who was born into a Buddhist family in the province of Fujian in 1844. On reaching the age of 33, he left his business and devoted himself to the teachings of Buddhism. In the year 1885, he came to Penang to obtain donations for the monastery in Fuzhou. But the trustees of the Kek Lok Si Temple in Penang gave him the position of the Chief Monk-in-residence. Seeing the devotion, he accepted the position and started his life in Penang.
The sevenstorey main pagoda of the temple was constructed in 1930 which houses the 10,000 Buddhas. The pagoda has the architecture embracing both Mahayana and Theravad Buddhism. The Pagoda is blend of the Chinese octagonal base and a middle tier of the famous Thai design along with a Burman crown. There was a further construction of 30.2m bronze stature of the Kyuan Yin in the year 2002. This statue is situated near the hillside over the Pagoda.
The temple has gardens, shrines, a pond for the turtles and many beautiful sculptures. On the way to the temple one finds many souvenir shops with good gift items. For the food lovers, the Air Itam market provides many such delicacies which are a gourmet's delight.
Travel.MapsofWorld.com provides online information on Kek Lok Si Temple, Penang as well as Penang Tourist Attractions.
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