Temple's, Melaka

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SRI SUBRAMANIAM THUROPATHAI AMMAN TEMPLE is located at Jalan Gajah Berang,Melaka. The age of this temple is around 200 years old and few years back it was fully renovated. The renovation was done by a large group of workers brought from Tamilnadu, India. Later the temple was completely renovated and the grand opening ceremony (Maha Kumbabishegam) was done on 11th December 2005.

Now the temple has 4 magnificent towers (goburam) and also 3 Vimana Gopuram (Main Deities' Towers) surrounded it. The main tower which it's height is 8-9 storeys building high. It is also one of the biggest temples in south-east Asia. Inside of the temple full with amazing paintings,and sculptures all hand-made. we can also witness the 108 Tandava dance moves of Lord Shiva, the marriage scene of Lord Ganesha with his two brides, Siddhi and Buddhi, and the best part is where the temple is surrounded with all 63 saint (Nayanmar) of Shiva religion and other saints and holy men i all idol arranged orderly.

The temple has 2 main deities which are knowned as Lord Thandayuthapani and Goddess Thuropathai. The main deities are companied by others deities such as ,Sri Ganesha,Lord Shiva with consort goddess Visalatchi, Sri Krishnan, Sri Hanuman, Sri Kamatchi, Sri Bairavar, Sri Aravan, Sri Katteverayan, Sri Periyachi, Lord Nadarajan, Sri Nagar and the 9 planets (Navagraha).

Since the temple has 2 main deities, therefore festival will be done twice a year. for lord Murugan is on Vigashi Visagam (May) and for Goddess Thuropathai is quite special because it is celebrated for 30 days during August and ends with a grand fire-walking ceremony which will be participated by hundreds of devotees from Both Melaka and Singaporean Chinese and Indians (Hindus)

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Cheng Hoon Teng Temple was founded in 1646 by the Chinese Kapitan Tay Kie Ki. Under the Portuguese and Dutch rule of Melaka, Kapitans were appointed chiefs or headmen as links between the rulers and the various ethnic communities. This system lasted unttil 1824 when the British put an end to it.
Cheng Hoon Teng is the oldest traditional Chinese temple in Malaysia. It is dedicated to Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. But whorshippers do also frequently pray to Tianhou, Goddess of seafarers as Melaka is an important sea port.
The temple won an UNESCO award in 2003 for outstanding architectural restoration.

Visiting hours from 7 to 19.

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Located at the southwestern foot of Bukit China, this temple was built in 1795 by Kapitan Chua Su Cheong, in the same year he was elected Kapitan (leader of the local Chinese community) by the Dutch Government.

An inscription on a stele commemorating the founding of the temple reads: "Bukit China is the place where early traders from China were buried. Many Chinese traders came to this country with high expectations of success. Sadly, some died before fulfilling their dreams. Without a family with them, there was no one to pray for their souls. As such, the Chinese Kapitans initiated prayers on their behalf. However, these were always hampered by strong winds and heavy rainfalls because there was no proper shelter. So in 1795, after Chua Su Cheong had been appointed the Chinese Kapitan, he looked into this problem faced by the community and initiated the building of a temple at the foot of Bukit China, to ensure that the prayers for those buried in Bukit China would not be interrupted."

The name of the temple, Poh San Teng, is inscribed on a 1795 tablet during its founding and is also above the front door of the temple. The main deity is "Fu De Zheng Shen" or "Tua Pek Kong". It is the tradition of the Chinese in China as well as Malaysia to dedicate graveyard temples to Tua Pek Kong."

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This temple is located near Cheng Ho Cultural Museum and was built in 1795. It's effigies include Da Bo Gang, Jin Hua Niang Niang and Guanyin. One funny thing I noticed was a large number of cans of Guinness stacked up on a shrine. Guess those deities are actually secretly Irish!

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Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Malaysia located within walking distance of the Kampung Kling Mosque and Cheng Hoon Teng Temple. It was built in the 1780s by the Hindu community of Malacca, and dedicated to Vinayagar or Ganesh, the Elephant deity. In the back room is a sculpture of the deity with the head of an elephant and the body of a man with four hands. There is another altar dedicated to Lord Muraga, the younger brother of Lord Vinayagar.

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The Cheng Hoon Teng Temple is the oldest Chinese temple in Malaysia. The temple, with its curved roof ridge, cut-and-paste chien nien decoration, and gable design, reflects the architectural style of South China, of craftsmen from Fujian and Guangdong. Meaning Temple of Clear Clouds, it was founded around 1645 by the Kapitan China Tay Kie Ki alias Tay Hong Yong. In addition to being a religious institution, the temple also served as the official administrative centre and court of justice of the Kapitans. In 1824, the British abolished the Kapitan system and the leader of the Temple, now known as "Teng Choo", assumed some of the Kapitan's responsibilities.

The magnificent main hall was first constructed in 1704 by Chan Ki Lock, and was rebuilt by Kapitan China Chua Su Cheong in 1801. The central altar is dedicated to Kuanyin, the goddess of mercy. To her left is Ma Choo, patron deity of fishermen, sailors and sea travellers. Next to her is the goddess of birth. At the far end is Kuan Kong. The deity with the gold face is Pau Sen Ta Tek, the god of welding.

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This small temple is located at the far end of Jonker Street in Chinatown and is dedicated to the Buddhist Goddess of Compassion. The Taoist Jade Emperor, flanked by two attendants is seated in the second hall.

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The Kampong Kling Mosque is one of Malaysia's oldest mosques, built in 1748 (Kampong Hulu Mosque, also in Melaka, was built in 1720). It is built in many different styles, like the minaret resembling a Chinese pagoda and the prayer hall in an Indonesian style.
It is open to visitors but think of the clothing rules while visiting.