Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur

The Thean Hou Temple is a temple to the sea goddess Mazu (also known as Thean Hou or "Queen of Heaven", hence the name of the Temple) located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The temple was built by the Hainanese (people from Hainan in Southern China) living in Malaysia and the property belongs to and is run by the Selangor & Federal Territory Hainan Association.

On 30th Aug 1981, members of the association laid the foundation stone for the Thean Hou Temple, on 1.67 acres of land atop Robson Hill in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Six years and RM 7 million later, the 4 storey Thean Hou Temple was finally completed and officially opened on 3rd September 1989.

The road up to the temple is along Persiaran Endah, off the busy 6-lane Jalan Syed Putra which connects Kuala Lumpur to the Federal Highway. The easiest way to get there is by car or private transport, as it is quite a steep walk up the hill and the nearest monorail station at Tun Sambanthan is a long walk away. 

However, if you do decide to take the monorail, you would need to get off at Tun Sambanthan, cross the Klang River and Jalan Syed Putra by the overhead pedestrian bridge to get to the Kuen Cheng High School on the other side. Then it is a 1.4km walk along the busy Jalan Syed Putra until you come to the Persiaran Endah intersection up the hill.

The temple is a modern building, but has traditional design elements from Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism incorporated into the architecture. Multi-tiered roofs, ornate carvings and other embellishments make the overall appearance rather pleasing to the eye.

The Entrance Gateway

The front entrance of the temple is through a multi-arched gateway with red pillars, which is the symbolic colour of prosperity and good fortune. On the first level are souvenir stalls and a canteen. Going up the staircase leads you to the multi-purpose hall and administration offices.

The Prayer Hall

From the opposite side of the courtyard.

The internal courtyard

The third floor of the temple is where the main prayer hall is. As the temple is dedicated to Mazu, her sculpture occupies the central position of the main shrine. Next to Mazu are the Goddess of the Waterfront, Shui Wei Sheng Niang, a Hainanese deity and Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy.

Going up to the fourth floor is the actually the roof of the walkways below, and gives a view to the internal courtyard below and also externally out to the spectacular view of the Kuala Lumpur skyline beyond. Even the Petronas Twin Towers can be seen in the distance.

Multi-tiered roof of the Prayer Hall.

Roof over the staircase tower

KL Skyline with the KL Tower and Petronas Twin Towers.

Dragons on the roof eaves.

On the temple grounds itself, tourists can view the sculptures and paintings depicting myths relating to Mazu and other Chinese legends such as the 12 Zodiac animals and Yue Lao, the God of Marriage and Love. There is also a herb garden and tortoise pond to the rear of the temple. 

Tortoise Pond.

Thean Hou Temple

Address: 65, Persiaran Endah, Off Jalan Syed Putra, 50460 Kuala Lumpur.

Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday; 8am to 10pm