The Snake Temple, Penang

The Snake Temple was built in 1850 and it is located not too far away from the airport. There's a few pit vipers and green tree snakes draped around the place that are doped up to the eyeballs from the incense smoke that permeates through the temple.

Admission is supposed to be free but try telling that to the snake handlers lined up looking for "donations".

The temple used to be surrounded by natural bush forest that had plenty of snakes. According to legend, these snakes would crawl into the temple especially on the birthday of the temple goddess.

Today, the Snake Temple is surrounded by factories of multinational corporations like Siemens, B. Braun and Renesas Semiconductor.

Snakes now have to be brought into the temple. These green diamond headed pit vipers lie curled on twigs inside vases on the altars and are fed with chicken eggs.

At a tourist corner inside the temple, for a fee, you can hold a live pit viper in your hands or put one on your head or shoulder for souvenir photo. The photos will be sent to your hotel later.

The Snake Temple is said to be unique - the only one of its kind in the world.

It is an easy stop on the way to the airport.

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Before I visited the snake temple, I always thought that the snake inside here are those non-venomous tree snake but I was wrong. The snake here are the venomous green viper. It give me chilled for a while. But the resident of this temple mentioned that the venom of these snakes has been taken out and the snake will not bite as the snakes 'respect' the temple itself.

During my visit, there's also a snake exhibition taken place inside this snake temple. With RM2.00 cover charge, it's a worth visit. You may experiencing holding the Malaysian Batik Boa called 'big momma'. She's quite big indeed. And the guide are really friendly. Watch out for the King Cobra. The one available here in is very fierce and aggressive.

Nevertheless, these are some quote of the snake temple as available in Wikipedia :-

The Snake Temple is situated in Sungai Kluang, Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia and is perhaps the only temple of its kind in the world. The temple is filled with the smoke of burning incense and a variety of pit vipers. The vipers are believed to be rendered harmless by the sacred smoke, but as a safety precaution, the snakes have also been de-venomed but still have their fangs intact, visitors are warned against picking up the reptiles and placing them on their bodies for taking pictures. Local devotees believe that the temple's snake population has come there of its own accord. The temple was built circa 1850 in memory of Chor Soo Kong, by a Buddhist monk who moved to Penang. Chor Soo Kong was born with the Tan surname in China during the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Probably the only one of its kind in the world. The temple honours a resident named Chor Soo Kong, who had healing powers. He was a Buddhist monk, who moved to Penang.
Some devotees from as far away as Singapore and Taiwan come to pray in the temple on Chor Soo Kong's birthday (the sixth day of the first lunar month). The temple was built in about 1850 and is dedicated to Char Soo Kong. The statue of the deified healer was brought to Penang by a monk from China. The legend is that this pious monk gave shelter to the snakes of the jungle; when the temple was completed, the snakes moved in.

What a very bizzare place but also very good! The first thing you notice is the smell in insense sticks. The monks mulling around the temple and then the snakes!!
They are everywhere on the floor in the rafters and cages everywhere around the temple!

The temple itself is really nice as you make your way through the temple you will reach the room in which you can hold the snakes and have your pictures taken....as you can see there are no pictures of me with any snakes!!!

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This is quite a let down. You need to pay RM3 to get into the place where they keep the snakes.

But there weren't many snakes in the temple. Maybe it's the time of the year which I went, but all of the snakes that I saw are in boxes. Most of them are also common ones which you can already see in the zoo.

The only thing interesting is you can get to hold a small snake.

A visit to the snake tepmle is well worth seeing!!!

The temple was built in about 1850 and is dedicated to Char Soo Kong. The statue of the deified healer was brought to Penang by a monk from China. The legend is that this monk gave shelter to the snakes of the jungle; when the temple was completed, the snakes moved in.

Although poisonous, these snakes are not known to bite. Patrons on the temple regard them as holy and harmless. On entrance you asked to make a donation. Now I recommend you oblige, perhaps it’s the donation that’s keeps you free of snake bites. Upon departing the temple there are photographers poised at the ready to snap you with a snake around your neck.

A great way to spend an hour.

Maybe we were very lucky, maybe because it was a while ago ... though we experienced the Snake Temple in a very special way. After showing a pic of the Temple and after telling these snakes were "fakes" my Harper's Bazar director-friend joined me to visit the Temple. Her scream was loud and clear when one snake looked up at her at the entrance-door of the Main Prayer Hall. I managed to convince her these creatures were "sacred" and didn't bite ... the Temple was overcrowded with snakes at that time and I was amazed ... NOT included the three snakes marked with red, for high-priced pics together with tourists!

Built in 1850 this temple is dedicated to the Goddess Char Soo Kong. It's told a Chinese monk took care of some snakes that moved into the temple when completed (also known as the Temple of Azure Cloud). He brought Char Soo Kong's statue, too. People tell that the many snakes are paralysed by the smoke of burning incense. Recommended for the intrepid visitors!