(by Tsem Rinpoche and Kenneth Chan)

Before our globalised world of jet-setting travel, cosmopolitan cities and urban migration, the entire region of the Malay archipelago was, for more than 600 years, an international destination for Arab, Indian and Chinese maritime traders and European explorers who, through the centuries, settled down for trade or for love in these parts, thus creating cosmopolitan communities.

A true melting pot, Malaysia is one of those rare places in the world where people of different ethnic origins, cultures, traditions and religious beliefs have infused harmoniously to form a distinct multicultural society.

This country’s rich heritage includes hundreds-of-years-old temples, churches and mosques — some of these located within doors of each other, others having in one place shrines dedicated to deities of different faiths or denominations. All of them have played a key role (and still do!) in shaping the nation by being centres for the community to convene and connect spiritually.

Kuala Lumpur’s Brickfields

Brickfields gets its name from being the city’s brick-making district in the late 19^th century. The Brickfields of Kuala Lumpur provided the building material for many of the city’s British colonial period red-brick buildings. Later on, the area became the main locomotive depot for the Malayan Railway during the British colonial administration.

Today, Brickfields is a mash-up of towers designed by celebrity architects looming high over rows of shophouses that are as old as the city itself. Retaining its railway heritage, this urban centre is the location of KL Sentral, the transport hub for Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia.

Brickfields’ rich heritage includes it being a multi-faith centre of worship for the city’s residents. Just about a square kilometre in size, this spiritually powerful neighbourhood has a dozen Hindu temples, the country’s oldest Buddhist institution, Chinese Taoist temples and churches for several Christian denominations including Malaysia’s only Orthodox Syrian Church.

Most of the places of worship in Brickfields are located along the crescent-shaped road named Jalan Berhala, which translates to “Shrine Road”.

Last year, Brickfields was ranked third on AirBNB’s list of top trending destinations.

Colourful flower stalls make and sell garlands to devotees for offerings to temples in Brickfields. Picture credit: Yun Huang Yong/Flickr via The Culture Trip

Sri Kandaswamy Kovil

Built in 1902 to strict scriptural temple guidelines, Sri Kandaswamy Kovil is one of the most prominent Sri Lankan Tamil temples in the country and a major destination for worship.

Address:
No 3, Jalan Tebing, Brickfields
50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Phone: 03 2274 2987, 03 2272 1548

Website: srikandaswamykovil.org

For Visitor and Office Hours: Please refer to website

Temple priests of Sri Kandaswamy Kovil reenact the defeat of the Asuras by Lord Murugan during the Surasamharam (Kantha Sashti) festival. Picture credit: YouTube

Buddhist Maha Vihara

Buddhist Maha Vihara was founded by the Sinhalese community in 1894 to provide a place of worship in the Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist tradition. The annual Wesak Day procession held by the Vihara since its founding is claimed to be the oldest and largest religious procession in the country.

Address:
123 Jalan Berhala, Brickfields
50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Phone: 03 2274 1141, 03 2272 1548

Website: buddhistmahavihara.org

Visitor and Office Hours: Please refer to website

Devotees attend a Full Moon Puja (Sanghamitta Poya) at the Buddhist Maha Vihara. Picture credit: Buddhist Maha Vihara Malaysia/Facebook

Seng Hong Tokong

Tucked away behind old apartment blocks on Jalan Berhala, by the riverbank, is Seng Hong Temple. This unique Taoist temple has inside the main building two shrines dedicated to the Hindu Ganesha and Kali, as well as a ‘Datuk Kong’ shrine dedicated to Datuk Haji Hassan.

Address:
Lot 06 0588, Jalan Berhala, Brickfields
50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Phone: 019 331 5233

Visitor Hours:
Monday – Friday, 5.00 pm – 9.00 pm
Saturday – Sunday, 2.00 pm – 8.00 pm

Mediums take trance during rituals at Seng Hong Tokong for observing the temple’s main deity’s annual birthday celebration. Picture credit: Kenneth Chan

Cathedral of St. Mary the Theotokos

The only Orthodox Church in Malaysia, the Cathedral of St. Mary was built by Syrian Christians of the Malankara Orthodox order from Travancore and Cochin (now known as Kerala) in India who had come to Malaya to seek their fortune. This unique order was founded by St. Thomas, one of the Twelve Apostles, who went to India in A.D. 52.

Address:
1, Jalan Tun Sambanthan 1, Brickfields
50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Phone: 03 2273 2619

Website: orthodoxchurchmy.com

Visitor and Office Hours:
Monday – Friday, 9.30 am – 4.30 pm
Saturday – Sunday,  9.30 am – 12.30 pm
Closed on Tuesdays

Cathedral of St. Mary the Theotokos in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.

Holy Rosary Church

The Holy Rosary Church which sits on the main road of Jalan Tun Sambanthan at the edge of Brickfields was built in 1904 to serve the Chinese-speaking community. This Catholic church has stunning European Neo-Gothic architecture complete with classical stained glass windows, a pointed arch, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses.

Address:
10, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields
50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Phone: 03 2274 2747

Website: hrckl.com

Visitor and Office Hours:
Monday – Friday, 9.30 am – 4.30 pm
Saturday – Sunday,  9.30 am – 12.30 pm
Closed on Tuesdays

Inside the Church of the Holy Rosary, Kuala Lumpur. Picture credit: Virtual Tourist via Says

Temple of Fine Arts

The Temple of Fine Arts was built as a sanctuary to preserve Indian arts and culture through the learning and staging of classical dance, music, performances and art. Founded in 1981 by Hindu guru Swami Shantanand Saraswathi, the temple offers classes for learning the classical arts and regularly stages performances. Annalakshmi, the vegetarian restaurant on the premises, is also very popular, serving authentic South Indian and North Indian dishes.

Address:
116, Jalan Berhala, Brickfields
50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Phone: 03 2274 3709

Website: tfa.org.my

Visitor Hours: Please refer to website

The Temple of Fine Arts is a sanctuary for Indian and Hindu classical dance and performing arts. Picture credit: Temple of Fine Arts

Harmony Street, Penang

Dubbed the “Street of Harmony,” Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling starting from St. George’s Church and ending at Acheen Street Mosque on the junction of Lebuh Cannon and Lebuh Acheh has in-between a rich legacy of 19^th century places of worship – the Kuan Yin Goddess of Mercy Temple, the Hindu Sri Mahamariamman Temple, the Kapitan Keling Mosque and Hock Teik Cheng Sin Temple.

Formerly known as Pitt Street, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling was the main street in colonial George Town, a testament of how people of different races and religions — Thai Catholics, Indian Muslim traders, Chinese migrant workers and traders, and Armenians — came together to build new opportunities and a better future.

The various communities built their houses of worship and lives along and around the heritage street where enterprise flourished and people co-existed peacefully.

Historic Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling was a main street during the time of the British Straights Settlement, and where early migrants plied their trade, lived and built places of worship. Picture credit: The Malaysian Insight

St. George’s Anglican Church

The oldest Anglican church in Southeast Asia, St. George’s Church was declared one of 50 Malaysian National Treasures in celebration of the country’s 50 Years of Independence in 2007. The church is named after Saint George, the patron Saint of England, and in the wide compound is a pavilion built in 1886 to commemorate Sir Francis Light, the founder of Penang.

Address:
1, Lebuh Farquhar
10200 Penang, Malaysia

Phone: 04 261 2739

Website: stgeorgeschurchpenang.com

Visitor Hours: Please refer to website

St. George’s Anglican Church’s main building was built in 1819 and celebrates its bi-centenary in 2018

Goddess of Mercy Temple

Locals from Penang call this temple “Kuan Yin Teng”. Built in 1728, this temple is the Island’s oldest and when it was first built, it was originally named Tokong Kong Hock Keong (Cantonese-Hokkien Temple) and dedicated to the sea-goddess Mazu. A century later, the temple replaced the main deity with Guan Yin, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy and a form of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

The temple’s fame increased greatly especially after remaining intact and undamaged from the air bombing during the Second World War, with many people believing that it was blessed with supernatural protection.

Address:
Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling
10200 Penang, Malaysia

Phone: 04 261 6663

Visitor Hours: Early-morning – Late-evening

The Goddess of Mercy Temple on Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling is the oldest Chinese temple in Penang. Picture credit: TimeOut

Arulmigu Sri Mahamariamman Temple

Known simply as Mariamman Temple or Queen Street Indian Temple, this is the oldest Hindu temple in Penang. Worshipped as a shrine by Tamil Indians for over 200 years, the present day temple was built on the same spot in 1833.

Constructed in the South Indian Dravidian style, the temple’s facade is inlaid with precious stones and diamonds. Carved into wood on the ceiling inside are symbols of the nine planets and signs of the zodiac.

The Mariamman Temple is dedicated to the Hindu Lord Subramaniam, whose statue in the main shrine (under a nine-metre-high dome) is elaborately decorated with jewellery. Around the main shrine, the temple also has a collection of over 40 statues of deities and lions.

This temple is the starting point for Thaipusam celebrations in Penang.

Address:
Lebuh Queen (main entrance) and Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling (alternate entrance, between Lebuh Pasar and Lebuh Chulia)
10200 Penang, Malaysia

Phone: 04 264 3494

Visitor Hours: Daily pujas are held every morning from 6.00 am – 12.00 pm, and in the evenings from 4.30 pm – 11.00 pm

Arulmigu Sri Mahamariamman Temple’s entrance on Lebuh Queen, Penang. Picture credit: Wikimedia Commons

Masjid Kapitan Keling

This historical mosque, whose position as a religious and community centre is as prominent today as it was 200 years ago, was built by Tamil Muslim traders at the centre of their neighbourhood. Colloquially called “Chulias” or “Keling”, the Kapitan Keling Mosque is named after its founder who was the ‘Kapitan’ — the British-appointed headman or community leader — of the South Indian settlers.

Masjid Kapitan Keling is a stately looking mosque with Moghul-inspired minarets and weather-aged copper domes. Inside, the walls are filled with calligraphy panels and stained glass windows having arabesques of geometrical designs and floral motifs. The floor is solid, polished white marble. Also, on its premises are a school (known as madrasah), residences for imams, kindergarten, mausoleum, wells and ablution pools.

Guided tours are available at the Islamic Information Centre located at the ground floor of the minaret. Visitors are required to wear robes, which are available.

Address:
14, Jalan Buckingham
10200 Penang, Malaysia

Phone: 019 464 1056

Visitor Hours:
Saturday – Thursday, 11.00 am – 6.00 pm
Friday, 3.00 pm – 6.00 pm

Masjid Kapitan Keling is a grand, old mosque with a rich heritage and a colourful history. Picture credit: Visit Penang

Hock Teik Cheng Sin Temple

One of the most unique in Penang, this temple, built over a century and a half ago, is an architectural rarity — it has a double-storey bungalow layout with its main prayer hall located a whole floor above the street level. This was from a time when most temples were built with the main pavilion located on the ground floor.

The temple, dedicated to the Taoist deity Tua Pek Kong, is also the headquarters of several Chinese clans and was one of the main centres during the Penang Riots when rival migrant clans were at war with each other. Secret passageways are still existing and open for visitor viewing.

Sited in George Town’s UNESCO World Heritage Zone, the Hock Teik Cheng Sin Temple is a grand heritage site and one of the most well-restored buildings there.

Address:
57, Lebuh Armenian
10200 Penang, Malaysia

Phone: 013 431 7003

Website: hokkienkongsipenang.com

Visitor Hours: Monday – Sunday, 9.00 am – 5.00 pm

Hock Teik Cheng Sin Temple is regarded as one of the most well preserved buildings in Penang’s UNESCO World Heritage Zone. The building’s main frame and roof were built using the Dugong method — an ancient Chinese wooden construction method without nails or rivets. Picture credit: Visit Penang

Acheen Street Mosque

Built as a community mosque for the Acehnese by a wealthy Acheh-Arabian merchant of Acehnese royal descent, the small Acheen Street Mosque is located in the first Malay village in George Town and famed for its unusual Egyptian-style minaret and architecture.

One of the most picturesque mosques in the country, Masjid Lebuh Acheh (by its official Malay name) was once an important centre for Islamic studies. It was frequented by traders throughout the archipelago and known as “the Second Jeddah.”

Address:
Jalan Lebuh Acheh
11200 Penang, Malaysia

Phone: 04 432 5231

George Town’s pioneer Malay settlement built the famous Acheen Street Mosque with the wealth and influence of an Achenese prince, Tengku Syed Hussain. Picture credit: Penang Monthly

Bentong

Barely an hour’s drive east from Kuala Lumpur, Bentong is both a district and a town in the state of Pahang. Like Malaysia’s capital city, Bentong town has its origins from being a pioneering mining settlement at the confluence of two rivers. The site where many of the old villages are remain much the same and continue to be lived in by their original families.

Present day Bentong is known for its small but cosy town which offers visitors some of the best durians, local street food and traditional coffee-shops in the country. While the main town is a heritage-rich place with pre-war shophouses lining both sides of the long main streets, Bentong’s countryside is renowned for its beautiful natural surroundings — clear streams, rivers and waterfalls within a primary rainforest in misty hills.

Bentong is also rich in spirit and like the historic ‘harmony streets’ in Penang and Malacca, it is a destination for spiritual seekers. In and around Bentong town are modern-day meditation and spiritual retreat centres of varying faiths, which includes Dharma Buddhist University, Grace Commission Community’s Prayer Mountain, Gurdwara Sahib, Kechara Forest Retreat, Maranatha Retreat House, Wat Mahamettaram, and heritage temples such as the 132-year-old Kwong Fook temple.

Bentong was recently designated by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture as a satellite town to the Malaysian capital city, Kuala Lumpur, and an eco-tourism destination for its fresh air and natural surroundings.

A Wesak Day candle-light procession takes place in Bentong town centre. Picture credit: Kechara

Kwong Fook Temple

Dedicated to the Taoist astrological Tai Sui deities, this temple is popular with residents and visitors from around the region who come to offer devotions and make offerings. The temple painted completely in red makes it an iconic landmark in Bentong town. Every third year, a popular festival is held at the Kwong Fook Temple with large crowds attending for blessings of good fortune and prosperity.

Address:
6, Jalan Loke Yew
28700 Bentong, Malaysia

Visitor Hours: Monday – Sunday, 6.00 am – 6.00 pm

Website: gobentong.com/en/attraction/attraction/chinese-temple-kwong-fook

Known as the “red temple”, Kwong Fook Temple is one of Bentong town’s iconic landmarks. Picture credit: GoBentong

Kechara Forest Retreat

Along the road to Bentong’s famed Chamang Waterfall is Kechara Forest Retreat, a contemporary spiritual centre in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition sited on 35 acres with a modern meditation hall, chapels, guest residences with hip container apartments, landscaped grounds, a fishpond and footpaths complete with serene spots for quiet contemplation. This Dharma institution also conducts regular weekend meditation retreats and spiritual learning classes.

Address:
Lot 3189, Jalan Chamang
28700 Bentong, Malaysia

Visitor Hours: Monday – Sunday, 10.00 am – 6.00 pm

Kechara Forest Retreat brings ancient Tibetan practices for healing and rediscovering inner peace to a contemporary retreat centre with full facilities. Picture credit: Kechara

Gunung Ledang

In local Malay folklore, Gunung Ledang is the spiritual home of a legendary mystical princess. Also known as Mount Ophir, this 1,276 metre-high mountain is located at the Gunung Ledang National Park at the border of Malacca and Johor.

This mysterious mountain is reputed to be a profoundly spiritual place, alive with forest spirits, and attracts a wide range of spiritualists, mystics, ascetics, and even occult practitioners for retreat and meditation. There are caves on the mountain that are often used as meditation caves.

Besides its mystical allure, Gunung Ledang is frequented by nature lovers and adventure seekers for mountain climbing, trekking through the many tropical jungle trails or to dip in one of the Puteri waterfalls and natural river pools.

Address:
Bt 28, Jalan Segamat, Sagil, Tangkak
84020 Johor Darul Ta’zim, Malaysia

Phone: 06 977 2888

Website: tourism.johor.my/tours/mount-ophir-gunung-ledang/

Visitor and Office Hours: Monday – Sunday, 8.00 am – 5.00 pm

The fable of the mystical princess of Gunung Ledang may be a folk tale but accounts of mysterious and unexplained sights and sounds are still being reported today by trekkers and visitors to the mountain. Picture credit: Johor Tourism

Batu Caves

Translated from Malay as “Rock Caves”, Batu Caves get its name from the hilly limestone caves in Gombak, Selangor and is renowned for the Hindu cave temples there, notably the Batu Malai Sri Murugan Temple, also known as the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple. A major Hindu pilgrimage site outside India, the temple is considered to be one of the earthly abodes of the Hindu god Murugan who is known by several other names including Subramaniar or Subramaniam, Skanda, Kumara and Kartikeya.

The main temple is located inside a huge cave 400 feet above the ground. Called Temple Cave, devotees and visitors have to climb 272 steps to reach the massive cave with a 100-metre high ceiling. The temple is more than a century old and is also THE destination for Thaipusam celebrations in the Klang Valley.

At the foot of the steps is a 140 foot (42.7 meters) tall statue of Lord Murugan — covered in resplendent gold. It is the world’s tallest statue of Murugan.

Other than the main temple, there are three more cave temples – Art Gallery Cave, Museum Cave (Vallurvar Kottam) and the Ramayana Cave. Reached by crossing a bridge over a koi pond, the Art Gallery Cave exhibits colourful statues of Hindu deities while Valluvar Kottam is where verses of the ancient Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, painted directly on stone tablets, can be viewed.

Inside the Ramayana Cave is a complete depiction of the classic Hindu tale in colourful dioramas. Outside the cave is a small temple dedicated to Hanuman, with a giant 15 metre high statue of the Hindu deity.

Address:
Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple Batu Caves
68100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Phone: 03 6189 6284

Website: batucaves.org

Visitor Hours: Monday – Sunday, 9.00 am – 9.00 pm

Batu Caves’ Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple is located inside the massive main cave named Temple Cave. Picture credit: Panoramio

Sam Poh Tong

The tin mining capital of the world in the 19^th century, Ipoh city’s surrounding landscape of limestone hills is evocative of China’s Guilin and simply stunning. The limestone hills are a popular site for rock-climbing and spelunking. The many limestone caves also house a number of cave temples, about 20 around Ipoh alone! Out of all the hills, Gunung Rapat located only five kilometres from Ipoh has the highest concentration of cave temples and is home to the most famous – Sam Poh Tong.

The famous cave is said to have been discovered in 1890 by a visiting monk from China, who decided to make the cave his meditation retreat and home. He built the temple and remained there for 20 years until his death. Today, the Sam Poh Tong is managed and cared for by nuns and monks who have dedicated themselves to the Buddhist way of life.

The temple is described as “an impressive work of art with various statues of Buddha interspersed among the stalactites and stalagmites.” On the grounds of the temple is a columbarium and a traditional cremation chamber that uses firewood. A restaurant serving vegetarian food can also be found here.

Sam Poh Tong’s award-winning zen-styled garden, featuring a large fish pond and multiple pagodas, is also very popular with visitors. Another attraction is a 246-step climb leading to an open cave for a magnificent aerial view of Ipoh and the surrounding countryside.

There are numerous smaller temples on this hill from nearly every Buddhist tradition, including Chinese, Thai and Tibetan.

Address:
Gunung Rapat
31350 Ipoh, Malaysia

Phone: 05 2552 772

Visitor Hours: Monday – Sunday, 9.00 am – 6.00 pm

The grounds of the famous Sam Poh Tong temple has an award-winning zen-styled garden.

Kek Lok Si

The Kek Lok Si Temple, a Buddhist temple situated in the rock face at the foot of the Air Itam mountain in Penang is an important pilgrimage centre for Buddhists from Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore and other countries in Southeast Asia. Kek Lok Si’s entire complex of temples was built over a period from 1890 to 1930 and is said to be the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia.

The most famous feature of the temple, the 100-foot high pagoda, is a Malaysian national icon. The Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas, also called the Pagoda of Rama IV, has three equal sections, each constructed in different architectural styles — a Chinese octagonal base, a middle tier of Thai design and crowned with a Burmese spiral dome — and is a symbolic tribute to the various Buddhist traditions and of the religious diversity present in the country.

The other popular feature for visitors is the 120-foot tall bronze statue — the world’s largest — of Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy.

The sprawling temple complex itself contains several large prayer halls and pavilions for assembly, devotions and meditation. Shrines with statues of Buddhas and various Bodhisattvas as well as Chinese gods can also be found. Fishponds and flower gardens are another feature of the temple complex that is popular with visitors.

Address:
Kek Lok Si Temple, Ayer Itam
11500 Penang, Malaysia

Phone: 04 8283 317

Website: kekloksitemple.com

Visitor Hours: Monday – Sunday, 7.00 am – 5.30 pm

The Kek Lok Si temple in Air Itam, Penang is a Malaysian national icon.

Wat Phothivihan

A temple in the Thai Buddhist tradition, Wat Phothiviham is located in the East Coast state of Kelantan. The temple’s key feature is a 40-metre Reclining Buddha statue, the biggest in the country and one of the biggest in Southeast Asia. It is housed in a hangar surrounded by murals and a wide variety of Buddha statues.

Also on the grounds of the wat are a Chinese pavilion and a Tibetan-style prayer hall with a statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara with 18 arms, a columbarium, smaller outdoor pavilions with statues and an intricate statue of the Buddhist Wheel of Dharma. The temple is also a monastery with monks and nuns in residence.

A restaurant is on site to serve food for visitors and accommodation is also available for those who are interested to stay longer for meditation retreats or other devotions.

Located in Tumpat — not far from the state capital Kota Bahru — the temple is the most popular of the 25 Buddhist temples found in this town. Other temples of interest in Tumpat are Wat Pikulthong and Wat Matchimmaram, both in close proximity to Wat Phothiviham.

Address:
Kampung Jambu, Tumpat
16200 Kelantan, Malaysia

Phone: 09 7193 019, 09 7252 224

Website: facebook.com/Wat-phothivihan-sleeping-buddha-746135388795051

Visitor Hours: Monday – Sunday, 9.30 am – 6.30 pm

Wat Phothivihan in Tumpat, Kelantan has a 40-metre Reclining Buddha statue, the biggest in the country and one of the biggest in Southeast Asia. Picture credit: Wikimedia Commons

Thean Hou Temple

Easily the most popular Chinese temple in Malaysia’s capital city, it is dedicated to Thean Hou, the patron goddess of seafarers believed to provide protection for fishermen and sailors. Also known as Mazu, her worship spread from coastal regions in Southern China to Southeast Asia with Chinese migrants in the 19^th century, who believed their safe journey by sea was safeguarded by the deity. Thean Hou or Mazu is also regarded as the Goddess of Heaven.

This grandiose six-tiered temple located in a hilly residential neighbourhood has large sculptures of Mazu with the Goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin, and the Goddess of the Waterfront, Swei Mei, in the elaborately decorated main prayer hall on a wide terrace with stunning views of Kuala Lumpur’s skyline.

The temple, said to be one of the biggest in the Southeast Asian region, is very popular with devotees who come seeking divination and blessings for successful endeavours. An average of 5,000 couples get married at Thean Hou Temple each year!

Throngs of devotees and visitors are also a common sight during festive days including Chinese New Year, Wesak Day, the birthdays of the three deities and the Mid-Autumn Festival. The commemoration of Mazu’s birthday is believed to be among the largest held outside China.

Address:
65, Persiaran Endah (Off Jalan Syed Putra)
50460 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Phone: 03 2274 7088

Website: hainannet.com.my

Visitor Hours: Monday – Sunday, 8.00 am – 10.00 pm

Kuala Lumpur’s Thean Hou Temple is a major pilgrimage site in Southeast Asia for devotees of Mazu. Picture credit: Wikimedia Commons

St. Anne’s Church

This famous Roman Catholic Church in Bukit Mertajam, a town on the mainland in the state of Penang, is the destination for more than a hundred thousand pilgrims each year including those from neighbouring countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and as far as Australia.

The Feast of St. Anne is a 10-day celebration to commemorate the patron saint of equestrians, housewives, women in labour, cabinet-makers and miners. She is popular with the faithful for being benevolent and is said to provide miraculous assistance with life’s difficulties.

Originally a chapel founded in 1846 by French missionaries, a new church building was constructed at the turn of the millennium to accommodate the growing Catholic population, and the original church was converted into the Shrine of St. Anne. The new church, one of the largest in Malaysia, is noted for its striking architecture combining traditional Malay-Minangkabau elements with modern design.

The immaculate grounds of the new church building feature an avenue named Dataran St. Anne, a grotto dedicated in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a series of life-sized statues depicting scenes from the “Stations of the Cross.”

Address:
Jalan Kulim, Bukit Mertajam
14000 Penang, Malaysia

Phone: 04 5386 405

Website: facebook.com/St.AnneChurchBM

Visitor Hours: Monday to Sunday, 7.00 am – 9.00 pm

The Feast of St. Anne celebrations, including a candlelight procession, is attended by more than 100,000 pilgrims from in and out of the country. Picture credit: The Sun Daily

For more interesting information:

• Top Ten Events and Festivals to Visit in Malaysia
• Top 10 Island Holidays
• Top 10 Hill and Jungle Adventures in Malaysia
• Celebrating Ullambana: The Original Hungry Ghost Festival
• Deepavali: The Festival of Lights
• Chinese New Year
• Hari Raya Aidilfitri
• Traditional Clothes of Malaysia
• The Dragon Boat Festival: A Fusion of Traditional and Modern Culture
• Wesak Day In Malaysia
• Thaipusam – The Festival of Lord Murugan
• Gawai Dayak – The Celebration of Bountiful Harvest
• Monarchy System in Malaysia
• 25 Mouthwatering Dishes Of Malaysia

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