Thean Hou Temple
Thean Hou Temple is one of the oldest and largest temples in Southeast Asia. Southwest of the city, it is a popular tourist attraction and is located along Jalan Klang Lama. Overlooking the Federal highway, the six-tiered Buddhist temple is also known as the Temple of the Goddess of Heaven.
Dedicated to Tian Hou, a goddess said to protect fishermen, the temple is also a shrine where many come to worship Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. Built by KL’s Hainanese community in 1894, it is set on a hill and offers wonderful views of the city.
Chinese temple often plays with the sight sense touch sense in their architecture. It is how it brings in their concept of creating harmony between nature and humanity.
I have been to this temple since I was young, brought by my father doing all the prayers every Chinese New Year. It gives me different kind of experience every time I go there. This temple’s architecture plays with a lot of senses and leaves deep marks to people’s experience.
Thean Hou Temple is one of the largest Chinese Temple in South East Asia. Different from the temples located between shop lots, Thean Hou Temple is built large in scale and filled with ornamentation.
The temple express the concept of integration of heaven and humanity, that is, human being is a part of nature. Therefore, the building itself integrate with nature which is the embodiment of heaven and humanity. This is why the temple is built on a hill.
. The large scale structure is combination of different houses for god and goddess and also small patio and pavilions. This is to create the awe of people towards the gods and goddess and worship towards the god and goddess.
The house of Guan Yin ( the goddess of Mercy). This is the main structure of the temple.
Chinese architecture is known for its strong horizontal axis; rather than focusing on the height of a structure. The houses of worship in the temple have a wide base platform and roof. In appearance, they were wider and heavier.
The temple give people the feeling of harmonious environment and comfortable life when they stroll in the changeable and complicated buildings by playing with the huge and enclosed spaces.
The large scale of the structure is to symbolic of the power and majesty of the gods and solemnity of the temple.
At the right hand side of the temple is a small garden planted with bamboo and a sacred Boddhi tree. The garden is wide and chilling making visitor to be calm and relax. Visitors can sit at the bench provided by the temple and enjoy the scenery.
Going towards the back of the temple you will see two tortoise ponds located side by side separated by a small bridge. Tortoises are one of the four celestial emblems (the other three are the phoenix, dragon and white tiger) who guard the constellations; there’s a population of hundreds here. You will smell the scent of the pond of the water and heard the sound of the water and the crawling of the tortoise.
In fact, you can hold and pat them if you want to. The cold and slightly slippery touching sense will be felt. Most of the tortoises were left here by the owners. I still remember i left one tortoise here when i was young.
The temple is filled with ornamentation. From columns to roof. These detailed ornaments made most of the visitors a feeling of appreciation towards the art of craft. The colors used in the ornaments blend wells and create a harmony atmosphere in the temple.
