| Thean Hou Temple | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhism,Confucianism,Taoism |
| Deity | Mazu Shui Wei Sheng Niang |
| Location | |
| Location | Seputeh,Kuala Lumpur |
| Country | Malaysia |
 Interactive map of Thean Hou Temple | |
| Coordinates | 3°7′18″N101°41′16″E / 3.12167°N 101.68778°E /3.12167; 101.68778 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Chinese temple |
| Established | 1981; 45 years ago (1981) |
| Completed | 1987; 39 years ago (1987)[1] |
| Website | |
| hainannet.com.my | |
| Thean Hou Temple | |||||||||||||||||
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 The temple at night. | |||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 天后宫 | ||||||||||||||||
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TheThean Hou Temple (Chinese:乐圣岭天后宫/樂聖嶺天后宮) is a six-tieredtemple of theChinesesea goddessMazu located inKuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[2] It is located on 1.67 acres (6,758 m2) of land atop Robson Heights on Lorong Bellamy, overlookingJalan Syed Putra.[3] It was completed in 1987 and officially opened in 1989.[1][2] The temple was built byHainanese living in Malaysia and the property belongs to and is run by the Selangor and Federal Territory Hainan Association (Malay: Hainan Selangor dan Wilayah Persekutuan; Chinese: 雪隆海南会馆/雪隆海南會館). It is one of the largest temples inSoutheast Asia.[4]
The Thean Hou Temple was constructed from 1981 and completed in 1987 at a cost of approximatelyRM7 million.[1][2]The following are some of the Hainanese people that contributed to the success in the completion of the Thean Hou Temple: Robert Chow (Architect), Lim Meng Swee (Structural Engineer), Goh T.K (M&E Engineer), Loong Yoke Phin (President), Heng Fook Kum, Wing Hong How, Tan Koon Swan, Tan Loon Swan, Foo Siang Foh, Loong Yeh May and to all Hainanese that donated money by purchasing part of the building i.e. columns and beams.
The installation dates of the Goddesses and Bodhisattva as follows:
The temple was officially opened on 3 September 1989.[2] Guan Yin was first given the appellation of "Goddess of Mercy" or theMercy Goddess by Jesuit missionaries or The Society of Jesus in China. InBuddhist scriptures, Guan Yin is recognized as Avalokitesvara, theBodhisattva of Compassion.
The temple is directly accessible from Persiaran Endah that connects to Jalan Robson towards the north, but has an incredibly steep gradient for private vehicles and minivans to both ascend and descent on. A much shorter and narrower road also indirectly connects to the temple's car park to the northwest, but instead cuts through residential units near Bukit Robson.
This syncretic temple with elements ofBuddhism,Confucianism andTaoism is a grandiose structure and represents a successful combination of modern architectural techniques and authentic traditional design featuring imposing pillars, spectacular roofs, ornate carvings and intricate embellishments.[2] Its grand architecture has made it as one of the tourist destination. The front entrance of the temple features a multi-arched gateway with red pillars, the colour symbolic of prosperity and good fortune. Souvenir stalls and a canteen are found on the first level.[3] The second-level houses the multi-purpose hall while offices are located on the third level. The fourth level has three tiers and the prayer hall is located here.
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The prayer hall houses threealtars, each altar with a large statue of one particular deity or goddess.[3] The altar on the right is dedicated toGuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy.Tian Hou Niang Niang is in the centre whileShui Wei Sheng Niang (the Goddess of the Waterfront) is at the left.[3] In the middle of the hall and between the altars are two pairs ofKau Cim oracles that can be used by visitors. Despite the dedication to Tian Hou, worship of Guan Yin is a recurrent theme at the temple.[5]
In addition to her altar in the prayer hall, there is a smaller statue ofGuan Yin to the right of the hall, set amongst rocks and falling water. Here one can kneel and receive a blessing of water from the statue. Outside the temple at the entrance to the grounds, there is a larger statue, similarly set amongst rocks and falling water. Other features include a Chinese Medicinal Herbs Garden, a Wishing Well as well as a Tortoise Pond. There is also a large statue of the goddess opposite the temple, along with a collection of other large statues that include representations of the twelve animals ofChinese astrology.[6]
Activities such as the grand birthday celebrations for Goddess Tian Hou, Goddess Kuan Yin and the Goddess of the Waterfront are conducted at Thean Hou Temple. Buddhist activities include Buddhist chanting sessions andWesak Day celebrations. Cultural activities include the annualMid-Autumn Festival during the eighth lunar month and theChinese New Year celebration.[1][4][7] In 2019, the temple was allocated RM30,000 by the federal government to encourage them to hold more cultural events.[8]
The temple also offersfortune-telling andmarriage registration services and traditional Chinese exercise andmartial arts activities such asqigong,tai chi andwushu classes are conducted at the temple compound.[9][10]
The Thean Hou Temple is a six-tiered temple to the Chinese sea goddessMazu. Costing RM7 million, the temple was completed in 1987 and officially opened in 1989. About 80,000 visitors, both local and foreign come to the temple during theChinese New Year period.
Located on top of Robson Hill off Jalan Syed Putra, its architecture will interest visitors, particularly tourists. Every year, thousands visit the temple to offer prayers to the three deities: the Goddess of the Seas (Thean Hou), the Goddess of the Waterfront (Swei Mei) and the Goddess of Mercy (Kuan Yin). Before leaving the temple, remember to get some souvenirs from the souvenir shops at the lowest level.
Media related toThean Hou Temple at Wikimedia CommonsProminentBuddhist temples inMalaysia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Johor |   | |
| Kelantan | ||
| Kuala Lumpur | ||
| Malacca | ||
| Pahang | ||
| Penang | ||
| Perak | ||
| Sabah | ||
| Sarawak | ||
| Selangor | ||
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