, image = Chin Swee Caves Temple combined.jpg , caption = Front view of Chin Swee Caves Temple , location =

Genting Highlands Genting Highlands is a hill station located on the peak of Mount Ulu Kali in the Titiwangsa Mountains, central Peninsular Malaysia, at 1800 metres elevation. Located in the state of Pahang, it was established in 1965 by the late Malaysian busi ...

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Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

Taoism Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

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Pahang {{Infobox political division , name = Pahang , official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur , native_name = , settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State , image_skyline = , imagesize ...

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Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, established = , year_completed = 1994 , architecture_type =

Chinese temple Chinese temple architecture refer to a type of structures used as place of worship of Chinese Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, or Chinese folk religion, where people revere ethnic Chinese gods and ancestors. They can be classified as: * '' mi� ...

, website = The Chin Swee Caves Temple ( zh, 清水岩庙;

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

: Qīngshuǐ Yán Miào) is a

. It is situated a scenic site in the

, on a 28-acre plot of rocky forested land donated by Genting Group founder, the late

Lim Goh Tong Lim Goh Tong (; 28 February 1918 – 23 October 2007) was a prominent wealthy Malaysian Chinese entrepreneur. He was the founder of Genting Highlands and renowned for transforming the resort from an unexplored hilltop into one of the world's mo ...

. Located 4,600 feet above sea level, the temple is about 5–10 minutes' drive down from the peak of the mountain. Within the temple is a statue of Master Qingshui, a Buddhist monk who has long been worshipped as a

Deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

Fujian Province Fujian is a province in southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefecture city by population is Qua ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

for his miraculous abilities to summon rain and subdue

evil spirit Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others. Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extremely ...

s. The temple attracts many local and foreign devotees from

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, China,

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

History

After completing the construction of Genting Highlands Resort in 1975, which at that time consisted only of a hotel with a small casino, Lim Goh Tong began the construction of the temple. He gathered a group of friends, many from his own Anxi clan with shared ancestry in the village of Penglai in Fujian Province, China, and established the Chin Swee Temple Society. Leading by example, Lim donated a 28-acre plot of land for the temple's construction. His companies, Resorts World Bhd and Genting Berhad, contributed RM8.1 million to the building fund. The late Lim was elected as the Chairman of the society while his son, Lim Kok Thay was appointed as its Deputy Chairman. The temple, which was officially opened on 29 March 1994 by Ling Liong Sik (then the Malaysian Minister of Transport), overlooks lush green slopes of

virgin forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without Disturbance (ecology), disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organizati ...

with a view of the winding road ascending to Genting Highlands. Construction of the temple was challenging due to the steep and rocky terrain, which rendered modern machinery unusable for essential tasks such as piling. Lim Goh Tong, serving as planner, architect, designer, contractor, and supervisor, opted for manual labour to excavate the foundation. His team dug holes 80 to 100 feet deep on the difficult hillside. Despite the labour-intensive and time-consuming nature of the project, the temple was completed in 18 years. Remarkably, no casualties or work-related accidents were reported throughout the construction period.

Features

The temple's first stage of development, costing an estimated RM12 million, comprises an imposing traditional structure. A massive statue of

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

stands behind the building. There were originally around 10,000 blessing lamps installed for those looking to be blessed, but 2,000 remain today. The temple has tall red columns supporting an ornamental roof. The exterior wall carries many inscriptions that depict the Reverend Chin Swee's life and his major charitable and

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

works. Within the temple, the statue of the Reverend Chin Swee placed, as per ''

feng shui Feng shui ( or ), sometimes called Chinese geomancy, is a traditional form of geomancy that originated in ancient China and claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The term ''feng shui'' mean ...

'' principles, at the northern part of the main hall with his face looking south. Behind the statue is a natural rock in a man-made flowing stream. The rock gives the necessary support to the statue while the stream provides clear cool

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. It is usually still, but may be sparkling ( carbonated/ effervescent). Traditionally, mineral waters were used or consumed at t ...

throughout the year. This water has been named "Dragon Mineral Water" where it could heal the sick. The Reverend Chin Swee's birthday falls on the 6th day of

Lunar New Year Lunar New Year is the beginning of a new year based on lunar calendars or, informally, lunisolar calendars. Lunar calendar years begin with a new moon and have a fixed number of lunar months, usually twelve, in contrast to lunisolar calendar ye ...

and is celebrated for ten days beginning from the first day of the Lunar New Year. Going forward and with the completion of these latest additions, the temple committee is planning for more events and celebrations aimed at depicting not only the good deeds of the Reverend Chin Swee but also the richness of the

Malaysian Chinese Malaysian Chinese, Chinese Malaysians, or Sino-Malaysians are Malaysians, Malaysian citizens of Chinese people, Chinese ethnicity. They form the second-largest ethnic group in Malaysia, after the Malaysian Malays, Malay majority, and , const ...

culture. File:Chin Swee Caves Temple KL9.JPG, Giant

statue. File:Chin Swee Caves Temple KL28.JPG, Giant

incense Incense is an aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremonial reasons. It ...

. File:Genting-Highlands Malaysia Chin-Swee-Caves-Temple-01.jpg, Handcrafted door. File:Chin Swee Caves Temple KL32.JPG, Red pillar of the temple. File:Chin Swee Caves Temple KL26.JPG, The temple prayer hall. File:Chin Swee Caves Temple Pagoda.jpg, The temple's pagoda

References

External links

* *
Former official website address
{{Taoist temples in Malaysia Religious buildings and structures completed in 1994 Chinese-Malaysian culture Buddhist temples in Malaysia Taoist temples in Malaysia Genting Highlands 20th-century Buddhist temples 20th-century Taoist temples Religious buildings and structures in Pahang

History

Features

See also

References

External links