The Thean Hou Temple ( zh, 乐圣岭天后宫/樂聖嶺天后宮) is a six-tiered

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

of the Chinese

sea goddess A water deity is a deity in mythology associated with water or various bodies of water. Water deities are common in mythology and were usually more important among civilizations in which the sea or ocean, or a great river was more important. Anoth ...

Mazu Mazu or Matsu is a Chinese sea goddess also known by several other names and titles. She is the deified form of the legendary figure Lin Mo or Lin Moniang, a Fujianese shamaness whose life span is traditionally dated from 960 to 987. ...

located in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

. It is located on of land atop Robson Heights on Lorong Bellamy, overlooking

Jalan Syed Putra Jalan Syed Putra (formerly Lornie Drive), Federal Route 2 is a major highway in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was named after Almarhum Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail of Perlis, the third Yang di-Pertuan Agong, which used ...

. It was completed in 1987 and officially opened in 1989. The temple was built by

Hainanese Hainanese ( Hainan Romanised: ', Hainanese Pinyin: ',), also known as Qióngwén, Heng2 vun2 () or Qióngyǔ, Heng2 yi2 (), is a group of Min Chinese varieties spoken in the southern Chinese island province of Hainan and Overseas Chinese su ...

living in Malaysia and the property belongs to and is run by the Selangor and Federal Territory Hainan Association ( Malay:''Hainan Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan''; Chinese:/雪隆海南會館). It is one of the largest temples in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

History

The Thean Hou Temple was constructed from 1981 and completed in 1987 at a cost of approximately RM7 million. 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 ie columns and beams. The installation dates of the Goddesses and Bodhisattva as follows: * 16 November 1985 — Tian Hou Niang Niang * 19 October 1986 — Guan Yin (Bodhisattva) * 16 November 1986 —

Shui Wei Sheng Niang Shui Wei Sheng Niang (; pinyin: ''Shuǐ wěi shèng niáng''; Thai: ''Chaomae Thongkham'', ''Chaomae Thapthim'') is a Hainan goddess that is worshiped by the Hainanese around the world, especially they who lives on the waterfront area. She is of ...

The temple was officially opened on 3 September 1989. Guan Yin was first given the appellation of "Goddess of Mercy" or the Mercy Goddess by Jesuit missionaries or The Society of Jesus in China. In

Buddhist scriptures Buddhist texts are those religious texts which belong to the Buddhist tradition. The earliest Buddhist texts were not committed to writing until some centuries after the death of Gautama Buddha. The oldest surviving Buddhist manuscripts a ...

, Guan Yin is recognized as Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

Features

Architectural

This syncretic temple with elements of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...

and

Taoism Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...

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. 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. 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. File:Kuala-Lumpur-Thean-Hou-Temple-Architecture-04.JPG, Ceiling art. File:Thean Hou KL 2007 pano gate.jpg, Main gate. File:Thean Hou Temple (18953944156).jpg, Red pillar with

Chinese characters Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji ...

. File:Thean Hou Temple - panoramio (1).jpg, Roofing art. File:Thean Hou Temple - panoramio.jpg, The temple overlooking the city of

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

Prayer hall

The prayer hall houses three

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in pagan ...

s, each altar with a large statue of one particular deity or goddess. The altar on the right is dedicated to

Guan Yin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She w ...

, the Goddess of Mercy. Tian Hou Niang Niang is in the centre while

(the Goddess of the Waterfront) is at the left. In the middle of the hall and between the altars are two pairs of

Kau Cim ''Kau Chim'' or ''Kau Cim'', also known as Lottery poetry (), is a fortune telling practice that originated in China in which the querent (person asking the question) requests answers from a sacred oracle lot. The practice is often performed in ...

oracles that can be used by visitors. Despite the dedication to Tian Hou, worship of Guan Yin is a recurrent theme at the temple.

External

In addition to her altar in the prayer hall, there is a smaller statue of

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 of

Chinese astrology Chinese astrology is based on the traditional astronomy and calendars. Chinese astrology came to flourish during the Han Dynasty (2nd century BC to 2nd century AD). Chinese astrology has a close relation with Chinese philosophy (theory of the ...

. File:Thean Hou Temple (18952222106).jpg,

Incense burner A censer, incense burner, perfume burner or pastille burner is a vessel made for burning incense or perfume in some solid form. They vary greatly in size, form, and material of construction, and have been in use since ancient times throughout t ...

. File:Thean Hou KL 2007 055.jpg, Small fountain with

Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...

dispensing water from her jar. File:Thean Hou KL 2007 pano garden.jpg, The temple garden. File:Thean Hou KL 2007 057.jpg,

Yue Lao Yue Lao () is a god of marriage and love in Chinese mythology. He appears as an old man under the moon. Yue Lao appears at night and "unites with a silken cord all predestined couples, after which nothing can prevent their union."Wesak Day celebrations. Cultural activities include the annual

Mid-Autumn Festival The Mid-Autumn Festival ( Chinese: / ), also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture. Similar holidays are celebrated in Japan (), Korea (), Vietnam (), and other countries in E ...

during the eighth lunar month and the

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly referred to as the Spring Festival () a ...

celebration. In 2019, the temple was allocated RM30,000 by the federal government to encourage them to hold more cultural events.

Others

The temple also offers

fortune-telling Fortune telling is the practice of predicting information about a person's life. Melton, J. Gordon. (2008). ''The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena''. Visible Ink Press. pp. 115-116. The scope of fortune telling is in principle identical wi ...

and

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

registration services and traditional Chinese exercise and

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preser ...

activities such as

qigong ''Qigong'' (), ''qi gong'', ''chi kung'', ''chi 'ung'', or ''chi gung'' () is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial-arts training. With roots in ...

tai chi Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called " shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. ...

and wushu classes are conducted at the temple compound.

References

External links

* * {{Taoist temples in Malaysia Religious buildings and structures completed in 1987 Chinese-Malaysian culture in Kuala Lumpur Buddhist temples in Malaysia Confucian temples in Malaysia Taoist temples in Malaysia Religious buildings and structures in Kuala Lumpur Guanyin temples Temples of Mazu 20th-century Buddhist temples 20th-century Taoist temples 20th-century Confucian temples