Monday, September 27, 2010

Kek Lok Si Temple

Kek Lok Si means "Temple of Supreme Bliss". The construction of the temple began in 1890, with the completion of its seven storey handcrafted "Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas" in 1930. The pagoda is considered one of Penang's most beautiful architectural wonders with its Chinese octagonal base, Thai middle tier and Burmese crown.

Kek Lok Si temple is located at Air Itam and can be reached by Rapid Penang bus (No. 201 & 203). The bus fare is RM2 from Georgetown for one way. The bus stop at Air Itam is not so obvious but it stops at Happy Day Coffee Shop.

The journey to the temple for those who opt to walk up the stairs is quite rewarding as there are many stalls which sell all type of souvenirs and nutmeg products.

When visitor is about to reach the temple, one will be greeted by a large pond with the name of Tortoise Liberation Pond. I estimate there are hundreds of tortoise here and I never came across so many tortoise before in my life.

Before venturing further for the main attraction, it is still worth to admire the interior of the various prayer halls available here.

Many deities can be found while walking around the complex.

A 30.2m Kuan Yin bronze statue was completed in 2002, adjacent to the pagoda. Ongoing work is still carried out to put the finishing touch on the shelter for this statue. One will need to take the inclined lift (RM4 for 2 way) to reach here.

Nothing seems to be free here. To enter the pagoda, visitor have to pay RM2 per entry.

The stairs which lead to the top of the pagoda. There are many Buddha statues en route to the pinnacle.

The view from the top of the pagoda is sure rewarding. The whole complex can be viewed clearly from this point.

6 comments:

wenn said...

nice, I was there few months ago..love it.

foongpc said...

I love the Kek Lok Si Temple! Don't mind going there again! But yes, nothing is free there cos it's like a tourist attraction.

shawnn loo said...

Nice place, never been there b4. Will go one day. have a nice day.

Reanaclaire said...

I went there last few months.. :)

tsai, can u check yr email? thanks!

lynn said...

i will be going there either on this saturday or sunday~ ^^
thanks for all the information~
really usefull..

and i know tat when it reach?( if i going other places by bus.)such as, jalan something something... well it be a notice board?

Borneo Falcon said...

For first timer, it might be a bit tough to know when to stop. Be alert. There should be tourists on the bus too and I'm sure the bus will stop there too.

There will be road signs for most of the roads in Penang. Shouldn't be a problem