Kuala Lumpur
This city showcases an incredible mix of nationalities and cultures; it is a true melting pot of East and West and of various religious cultures. The main mosque, Masjid Jamek, is near the center square, Merdeka, where the Malay declared their independence from the British in 1957. At the northwestern end of the square is the city’s oldest brick building, St. Mary’s Cathedral. Hindu temples, including the famous Sri Maha Mariamman lie near Chinese temples. Little India is walking distance from the center of town with the old town centered around Petaling Rd., which in the middle of China Town with its vibrant and ultra crowded, but very cheap, Night Market. To the south of the market is a Chinese clan house that was built in the late 19th C that is currently undergoing restorations on the inside, but the outside has literally hundreds of wooden relief carvings of birds, animals and people. Across the street from the clan house is one of the oldest Chinese temples in Kuala Lumpur, the Wei Zhen Gong Guan Yin Temple.
There is no known date for its original construction of this sacred building, but it was mentioned in documents from 1898, so it is at least over a hundred years old. The central hall, call “the Precious Hall of Exalted Hero,” is divided into three sections as is common in Chinese temples. Some of main images are a golden Buddha Sakyamuni, a thousand armed Guan Yin, and the Earth Store King (Namo Mahasattva Ksitigarbha) and the Diety Huat Chu Kong, who subdued the demons of the burial grounds behind the temple so that it could be consecrated. While many of the city’s sacred sites were built during the British occupancy, in the center of the city they have almost all been restored or remodeled and a number of new ones have been built. Among the newest, from the 1990s, is the largest Chinese Buddhist temple on Robinson Hill, the Thean Hou Temple dedicated to the Goddess who protects the seas and oceans. She is enshrined in a beautiful central hall up a set of staircases in a seven level temple with a magnificent view of the town. While Thean Hou is the central figure, Kuan Yin and the Taoist Queen of the West, also have their places. In the central hall are people behind long tables accepting donations for both requests for blessings as well as for having their fortune told via the throwing of sticks with sayings on them. There are also huge towers of little gold Buddhas encased with dedications on the sides of the hall. The center of the ceiling is filled with carved reliefs of birds and animals. Red lanterns in what seems like dozens of rows hang across the outside square adding a brilliance to the red and gold lacquered pagoda shaped rooftops. The three goddesses radiate a sense of peace and harmony to the entire area, making it a popular site for Chinese weddings.
One of the most unique sacred sites is the Batu Caves, which showcase legendary Hindu figures. The newest cave, which was just opened in 2011, the Ramayana Cave, has over life-sized models of figures in scenes from the Mahabharata. At the entrance is a very large Hanuman who is next to a Shakti shrine, which is near a large bronze set of sculptures with Arjuna kneeling before Krishna in the chariot while a dozen horses canter along pulling the vehicle. While it may not be technically accurate, it is an impressive work of art. Inside the cave some of main scenes of the Ramayana are depicted, including Rama’s boyhood, his education, the wooing of Sita, their marriage, their exile to the forest, the overcoming of Ravena and their return to Ayodhya. Above the vividly painted sculpted figures at the back of the cave are two cascading waterfalls. Above them off to the right is a set of stairs that goes to a calcified stalagmite that is shaped like a milky Shiva Lingum.
This newest addition to the Batu Caves is only one of many within this set of hills. Next to it is the “Villa Cave” which is a bit of a tourist trap, but an interesting one as it also has painted models of Hindu figures in scenes from common and local Malay legends. The tourist trap part comes in with their rather tacky reptile and aviary sections, which are not well done and one feels sorry for the animals housed there. One viper was so upset he repeatedly attacked the glass as we walked by. The main, and oldest of the Hindu caves, Cathedral Cave, is up a series of 267 rather steep steps. There is a huge 140 ft. high Lord Murugan statue guarding the entrance. On top the shop, (yes, there is always a retail opportunity at pilgrimage sites) was playing a popular recording of the Gayatri mantra. When we were there, the site was fairly empty and the main temple was closed. The temple at the back of the cave, up another set of stairs, was fairly small, but quite ornate and nice. This temple in in a hollow with open sky above and lush vegetation on at least one side of the surrounding cave walls. The cave is at least 100 ft high, and equally as wide.
On the way back down, off to the right hand side is “The Dark Cave,” which is a delight for those who like creepy crawly things. This cave is supposed to be the most studied cave in Malaysia and perhaps in Asia. It has it’s one unique “trapdoor” spider which exists no were else, has both fruit and insect eating bats, centipedes that are about three inches long and white snakes, which I luckily did not see. For those who want to crawl amid these creatures, the naturalists offer and “Adventure Tour” for about four hours of playing in the mud and guano.
Back amid the sacred sites, is the above mentioned Hindu Sri Maha Mariamman Temple. It is in the South Indian style, as most of the Indians here came from Tamil and South India. The goddess is black and draped with marigold garlands over her bright cloth coverings. Priests officiated at the evening aarti as worshippers lined up in two lines in front of the image to offer puja. The main Sri Maha Mariamman image has a smaller Ganesha shrine next to her, and on the inside walls of the courtyard are tile images of various goddesses. On the sides of the inside temple are statues of various goddesses, including, Parvati, Lakshmi, and Durga, and Saraswati, inside glass cases. The entire site is sparkling clean and neat, there is no trash or litter anywhere, which is really quite different from what it would be in India. While the temple is supposed to be fairly old, it has obviously been recently renovated, which seems to indicate that like the Chinese temples, religious tolerance is actively practiced in this predominantly Muslim city.
Just one other observation on KL as the city is often called, right now it seems to be in the middle of a construction boom. Not only do the Space Needle and Petronas Towers grace the skyline, but malls and new metro stations are under construction throughout the center of the city. KL is a city on the move and the move includes both Eastern flair and Western Starbucks, Subways, KFC, etc. The city is known for its shopping venues and it has earned its reputation with retail opportunities in abundance.
