Religious sites in Penang - tourists guide
Buddhist temples are great fun at the water festival
A large part of the attraction that Penang has for visitors is the unique mix of religions and beliefs that live side-by-side harmoniously. Visiting all the different temples, mosques and churches in Penang is a great experience as it demonstrates a truly multicultural and tolerant state centuries before the modern concept was ever mooted.
Buddhist temples in Penang
Kek Lok Si Temple
Century-old temple complex with carefully maintained ornamental gardens bejewelled with sacred temples. A huge 120ft statue of Kuan Yin made of bronze dominates the landscape from high up on the hill. And the stunning Pagoda of 1,000 Buddhas mixes Thai, Chinese and Burmese styles within its seven-tiers. Four Heavenly Kings statues guard compass points with The Laughing Buddha right at the centre. (Jalan Balik Pulau, six kilometres from George Town, Air Itam, Tel: +60(0)4 899 8222, open: 09:00 – 18:00, admission: free)
Snake Temple
Built in 1850 to commemorate healing Buddhist priest Choo Sor Kong, legend has it that a religious zealot who befriended poisonous snakes sought refuge here. When he died, the snakes remained and it became a peculiar place of worship in Penang. Sometimes known as the Temple of Azure Cloud, the serpents have an extraordinary shrine with poisonous pit vipers on altars, incense burners, vases, tables, candlesticks, overhead and underfoot. (10 mins from Georgetown, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, Bayan Lepas, open 09:00 – 17:00, admission: free)
Dharmmikarama Burmese Temple
This Burmese temple in Penang features a pair of elephants guarding the entrance and is particularly good fun during the April new year water festival. Within the grounds of the gaudy pagoda is a Boddhi tree and wishing pond. The temple, which was first constructed in 1803, is a peaceful place to come aside from the occasional ringing of bells. (Lorong Burma, 10 mins from Georgetown towards Batu Ferringhi, admission: free)
Wat Chayamankalaram
The third largest reclining Buddha in the world can be found here, draped in gold-leafed saffron and measuring a full 33m in length. Built in a Thai style, it is an important religious site in Penang for Buddhists from the north of Malaysia and particularly worth visiting during the spectacular occasions of Loi Krathong (festival of lights) and Songkran (new year). (Lorong Burmah, 10250, 10mins from Georgetown, open: 06.00 – 17:30, admission: free)
Churches in Penang
St George's Church shows the diversity of beliefs
St George’s Church
This impressive church is the oldest Anglican place of worship in Southeast Asia and was built in 1816 by convicts. Towering Grecian columns dominate the building’s exterior which was largely undamaged throughout extensive bombing of the Second World War. A memorial to Capitan Francis Light, who founded Penang in 1786, stands in front of the church. (1 Jalan Lebuh Farquhar, George Town, Tel: +60 (0)4 261 2739, open: 09:00 – 17:00, admission: free)
St Anne’s Church
This centre of pilgrimage for Malaysian Christians began life in 1846 as an an inauspicious little chapel upon a hillock established by visiting priest Father Adolphe Couellan. But over the years it swelled to become influential in the surrounding region and a larger building had to be constructed. July’s St Anne’s Feast is a grand occasion marked by two nights of candelight procession by thousands of devotees. The original church, now referred to as the Shrine, is a intimate affair with the new one able to seat 1,800 parishioners, featuring Gothic architecture and many-tiered Minangkabau roofs. (Jalan Kulim, Bukit Mertajam, Tel: +60 (0)4 262 0202, open: 9:00 – 17:00, admission: free)
Cathedral of the Assumption
This Penang cathedral is one of the first religious sites of Georgetown and was established not long after Captain Francis Light first landed here. It was so named as of the first group of Eurasian Roman Catholics from Kedah arrived in Penang on the eve of the Feast of the Assumption.
Although originally founded in Church Street in 1786, the Cathedral of the Assumption was later moved to Farquhar Street in 1857. (Lebuh Farquhar, Penang, Tel: +60 (0)4 261 0088, admission: free).
Mosques in Penang
Kapitan Keling Mosque
This 1800s mosque was the first Islamic place of worship to be built in Penang and features Moghul-style copper domes. The building is named after the head man of the ‘Keling’ Muslim settlers from southern India. Visitors must ask permission from Mosque officials before entering, dress conservatively and their remove shoes. (Corner of Jalan Buckingham and Lebuh Chulia, Georgetown, Tel: +60 (0)4 262 0202, admission: free)
Acheen Street Mosque (Masjid Melayu)
This Penang mosque was built by Syed Sheriff Tengku Syed Hussain Aidid was one of the most influential immigrants that flocked to the area from Acheh in Sumatera. Built in 1808, it is in a more Arabian style compared with the south Indian Kapitan Keling alternative, and features a small window halfway up the minaret which is thought to have been formed by cannonball fire during the 1867 triad riots. (Acheen Street, Lebuh Acheen, Georgetown, open all day but ask permission, admission: free)
Beautiful floating mosque in Tanjung Bungah
Penang State Mosque
Designed by Brazillian architect Oscar Niemeyer, Penang’s State Mosque has an elegant contemporary design, can accommodate 5,000 worshippers and took four years to build. Normally packed on Fridays, tourists wanting to explore its inner sanctum should avoid this holy day and ask permission from Mosque officials before entering. Visitors must dress appropriately and remove their shoes before entering. (Jalan Masjid Negeri, Georgetown, admission: free)
Chinese temples in Penang
Han Jiang Ancestral Temple
This temple in Penang was awarded the 2006 UNESCO Culture Heritage Conservation Asia-Pacific Heritage Award and it’s easy to see why.
Established in 1870, this is the only Teochew-styled temple in Georgetown with four-point gold roof forming a small quadrangle around the inner atrium. (127 Chulia Street, Georgetown, Tel: +60 (0)4 261 5629, admission: free)
Kuan Yin Temple
This Penang place of worship is the oldest temple on the island and built to honour the Chinese deity Kuan Yin, Goddess of Mercy. Constructed in the 19th century, the building features a classic oriental style of architecture with curved roofs and mythical creatures including dragons carved of stone. (Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, Tel: +60 (0)4 261 6663, admission: free)
Hindu temples in Penang
Nattukotai Temple
This Hindu temple in Penang is an important place for worship for the Chettiar community of traders, moneylenders and merchants who follow Lord Murugan. They come from the Pudukottai and Sivagangai districts of Tamil Nadu, South India. The reed roofs, beige walls, and blue tiles mix with the potent aroma of jasmine. Around 100,000 people attend the annual Thaipusam festival here, making it the largest gathering in Penang. (Jalan Air Terjun, Tel: +60 4 262 0202, open: 6:00 – 18:00, admission: free)
Sri Mariamman Temple
This Hindu temple is Penang’s oldest having been constructed in 1883. Filled with colourful statues of Hindu deities including a priceless jewel-encrusted representation of Lord Subramaniam. This Penang temple has a gopuram (tower) and is an excellent example of Dravidian architecture. During Thaipusam festival, there is a procession where this statue is transported by chariot procession by Hindu devotees. (Lebuh Queen, Georgetown, Tel: +60 (0)4 262 0202, open: 8:00 – 12:00 & 16:00 – 21:00 daily, admission: free)
