The Kek Lok Si Temple is a Buddhist temple within the city of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located at Ayer Itam, it is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia and an important pilgrimage centre for Buddhists from Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore and other parts of Southeast Asia. The entire complex of temples was built over a period from 1890 to 1930, an inspirational initiative of Beow Lean, the abbot. The main feature of the complex is the seven-story Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda commissioned by the late Thai king Rama VI, featuring 10,000 alabaster and bronze statues of Buddha and the 36.57-metre-tall (120 ft) bronze statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy. The 10,000 Buddhas concept belongs to the Chinese Mahāyāna school of Buddhism while Rama VI was king over a Theravāda country and Buddhist tradition.
Kek Lok Si
The Guanyin statue with the pavilion in 2019
Statue of Guanyin, inaugurated in 2002 before the pavilion was built
Kek Lok Si Temple viewed from Air Itam
Ayer Itam is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Nested within the central valleys of Penang Island, it is located approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) southwest of the city centre. The suburb is home to Kek Lok Si, touted as the largest Buddhist temple in the country.
Ayer Itam
Suffolk House in 1811
The Chinese Anti-War Memorial at Ayer Itam is where some 800 victims of the Sook Ching massacres during World War II were laid to rest.
Lanterns adorning Jalan Ayer Itam during Chinese New Year