Sam Poh Tong, Perak

Gunung Rapat is a limestone hill located 7km to the south-east of Ipoh, which is riddled with caves. Over the years, many of these caves have been turned into temples by devotees. Some of the cave temples located here include the Kek Look Tong, Miaw Yuan Chan Lin, Kwan Yin Tong, Da Seng Ngan, Lin Sen Tong, Nam Thean Tong and of course the Sam Poh Tong temple.

Sam Poh Tong can be translated as the Cave of the Triple Gems. While the origin of the name is unknown; it probably does not refer to actual jewels or treasures; but probably the Triple Gems of Buddhism, the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.

Some accounts say that the cave was discovered in 1890 by a passing monk from China. The monk decided that the cave was a good place for him to meditate and so he made the cave his abode. The monk lived there for the next 20 years until he eventually passed away. Subsequently it is said that a temple was founded at the site of the monk’s cave in 1912 by local devotees. Sam Poh Tong is thus said to be one of the earliest Buddhist cave temples in Ipoh.

Entrance to the Sam Poh Tong grounds. Beggars and hawkers selling water spinach ("kangkung") to feed the turtles.

In front of the temple is a striking rock garden in an ornamental koi pond. Stone lanterns and sculptures decorate the rock garden, and while you initially may not pay too much attention; upon closer inspection of the rock garden, you will notice intricate miniatures of pagodas and other decorations amongst the rocks. The overall effect is quite pleasing to the eye, evoking mountainous landscapes like something out of China. A plaque on site states that the garden won the award of the best landscaped garden in Malaysia in 1993.

The rock garden.

Stone lantern.

Buddha in a cave.

Koi swimming in the pool.

Statue.

Miniature bridge.

Miniature pagoda.

A "floating" pavillion sits on one side of the ornamental pool. Two dragon heads survey the scene set before them.

Floating pavillion.

Dragon surveying his domain.

The temple grounds also include a vegetarian restaurant, a crematorium and a columbarium. 

Once you have finished exploring the grounds, you can make your way to the entrance to the actual cave temple.

Ceremonial archway into Sam Poh Tong.

The cave entrance is surprisingly small.

Once you enter the actual cave, you will actually be surprised by how small it actually is. The cave has also essentially been tamed; the floors have been concreted and tiles; and the walls and ceiling have been plastered.

Laughing Buddha.

Steps lead upwards from the main cave.

A staircase leads upwards to the right of the main altar. You can climb up these steps to get to the upper chamber.

Icons in glass cabinets.

At the top of the staircase is the upper chamber where there are more buddhist icons in glass cabinets. You can also peer down to the lower chamber from here.

Steps lead down from the upper chamber to the outside.

From the upper chamber, you can climb more steps which will lead you to a barricaded opening with steps leading up the mountain. From behind the bars, you can see that the steps are overgrown with shrubbery and not maintained. Some old descriptions of Sam Poh Tong mention that you can climb 246 steps to an open cave with a commanding view of Ipoh. Perhaps these are the steps in question?

Since you cannot continue up, another doorway leads down and out to an open terrace facing the front of the cave. From here you can see the back of the ceremonial arch and the temple grounds.

View of the back of the entrance arch.

After peering out to see the view, you can walk back to see one last chamber, also blocked off with a barricade. At the time of our visit, the door was open, and we walked in to see this many armed statue.

The final upper chamber.

Inside is this many armed statue.

Once done, make your way back down to the main cave, walk pass the Laughing Buddha altar, and you will come to another altar.

Another altar.

Once pass this altar, a passageway leads off to the right. Follow this passageway until you reach the end, where a surprise awaits you.

Passage leading to the hidden valley.

At the end of the passageway, natural light floods in, and you will see that you are inside a hidden valley completely encircled by the limestone hills. The only way in and out of this hidden valley is by the passageway you came in through.

Icons in the hidden valley.

Inside the hidden valley is a tortoise pond. People will feed kangkung, or water spinach bought from the hawkers outside, to the turtles for merit-making.

Turtle Pond

Unfortunately, the turtles in the turtle pond do not seem to be living in hygienic surroundings and are fenced in. Perhaps the temple management could see how to improve their living condition.

Besides the turtle pond, there is also an abandoned pagoda in the valley. The gates are barricaded and you cannot enter; but its presence gives the valley an eerie and mysterious appearance.

Abandoned Pagoda.

Curiously there is a statue of a Roman-like figure in front of the temple, not something you would expect in a Buddhist temple!

Surreal and desolate.

Sam Poh Tong is especially packed during Ching Ming when relatives of the deceased come to pay respect to their ancestors. Relatives leave behind food and offerings to their dearly departed. However at other times, Sam Poh Tong seems forlorn and quiet. 

There is a general air of neglect and decay that pervades the atmosphere of the temple; as if there is no longer any will to upkeep and maintain the temple grounds. Stray dogs wander the grounds and beggars line the gates. Some areas of the temple are barricaded off from entry and appear run-down. This is a pity, as Sam Poh Tong has a lot going for it if it is well-maintained. Hopefully the caretakers will take note and do something to return Sam Poh Tong to its heyday.

Sam Poh Tong

Address: Sam Poh Tong, Off Jalan Sultan Nazrin Shah, 31400 Ipoh, Perak.

Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur

The Sri Maha Mariamman Temple is the oldest Hindu Temple in Kuala Lumpur. It was founded by K. Thamboosamy Pillai as a private family shrine in 1873 at another location before it was moved to its present location in High Street in 1885. (High Street was later renamed Jalan Bandar and subsequently to its present name of Jalan Tun H.S.Lee.)

Thamboosamy was a prominent businessman, money-lender, tin-miner and government contractor of Tamil origin. Born in Singapore in 1850, he became an acknowledged leader of the Tamil community in Kuala Lumpur. Besides this Sri Mahamariamman temple, it is also said that he founded the Temple at the Batu Caves in 1891.

Thamboosamy passed away in 1902 in Singapore, and his family eventually opened the family shrine to the public in the late 20's. The management of the temple was subsequently handed over to a Board of Trustees.

The original temple at High Street that Thamboosamy built was a simple attap structure, which was demolished and rebuilt out of brick in 1887. That structure was also demolished and rebuilt in 1968, which is the current temple building. The highlight of the temple, the ornately decorated gateway or gopuram was added in 1972.

The Sri Maha Mariamman temple.

A gopuram is a monumental tower at the entrance of a temple and functions as a gateway into a temple through walls that usually surround the temple complex. They are usually the most prominent feature of temples of the Dravidian or South Indian style. 

The Sri Maha Mariamman temple's gopuram is 75 feet high and made up of 5 tiers fully adorned with miniature sculptures of 228 hindu deities. The entrance of the temple faces east, and the on plan, the temple is arranged in the form of a human body, with the gopuram symbolising the feet.

The five tiered Gopuram.

The shoe deposit counter.

Shoes and other footwear are not allowed within the temple premises. On the left of the gopuram is a shoe deposit counter, where you can store your shoes for the princely sum of 20 cents per pair. You then walk in barefoot into the gopuram over the ornately carved timber threshold and through the massive timber doors. As a working temple, there are no fees or charges to enter.

Timber threshold.

The threshold represents the division between the material and spiritual worlds.

View of the Gopuram from within the temple.

Inside the complex, you will see that it is a courtyard surrounded with other modern buildings with the Main Prayer Hall sitting in the centre of the open space. Around the Main Prayer Hall are four smaller shrines dedicated to other deities.

The shrine on the right of the Main Prayer Hall.

The shrine on the right is decorated with a chariot pulled by 7 horses on the roof of the shrine.

Inside the shrine.

View of the Main Prayer Hall from the side.

A relief on the side of the Main Prayer Hall.

Another shrine at the rear of the temple complex.

At the rear of the courtyard, is another shrine, this one decorated with an onion-shaped roof and images of lions.

Pigeons among the decorated lions.

Icon

Ganesha, the Remover of Obstacles.

The shrine on the left.

A line up of deities.

The Main Prayer Hall.

The Prayer Hall is decorated in bright gaudy colours.

The Sanctum Sanctorum with the deity Mariamman within its closed doors. 

The Sanctum Sanctorum is the head of the temple, and it houses a statue of the patron deity of the temple Mariamman. Mariamman is a Tamil folk goddess, predominantly worshipped in pre-Vedic times in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu in India. She is now commonly associated with Hindu deities such as Parvati, Kali and Durga.

The name "Mari" means "rain" and "Amman" is "mother"; hence Mariamman is the Mother of Rain or in other words the Mother Goddess. As the bringer of rain, she is associated with fertility and prosperity, as to the rural farmers, an abundance of rain means an abundant crop and prosperity.

Final look at the Gopuram before exiting.

The temple is busy during the Festival of Deepavali, as well as Thaipusam. During Thaipusam, the silver chariot and procession starts its journey to the Batu Caves from here.


Sri Maha Mariamman Temple

Address: Jalan Tun H. S. Lee, 50050 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Telephone: + (604) 263 4941

Opening Hours: 6:00am to 8:30pm (times may vary, extended hours on Friday and Saturday)