4 Sep 2018 - Penang Day 5: Kek Lok Si Temple

As we all woke up early this morning, we decided to visit Kek Lok Si Temple, which we had missed yesterday, before checking out of the hotel.

Standing on a hilltop at Air Itam, near Penang Hill, Kek Lok Si is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia.

The mid section of the temple houses temples, gardens, the pagoda and the four heavenly kings pavilion

From the mid section, we took the tram to the upper section of the temple.

The hilltop plays host to an enormous (36.5 metre-high) bronze statue of the Goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin as well as more gardens and temples.

We spent about half an hour at the hilltop before going back to the mid section.  There are shops selling local products and we bought some to bring back home.

At the lower section, there is a turtle pond, known as The Liberation Pond.  It was built because according to Chinese tradition, turtles symbolize longevity, strength and endurance and the act of capturing and freeing a turtle is a symbol of spiritual liberation.

Jerlene and Javier had lots of fun feeding the hundreds of turtles.

Back to Itin        Next