THE magnificent Kek Lok Si temple will soon see an added attraction – a landscaped rock garden.
Temple trustee Datuk Steven Ooi said the state government had earmarked a 2.8ha plot of land at the foot of the Air Itam hill for the project.
“The project includes additional parking lots as well as a tea pavilion for tourists to rest and take in the beauty of the rock garden,” he said, after the temple lighting ceremony on Sunday.
He said the temple was expecting more than one million visitors during the Chinese New Year period.
“There will be Rela members from the first to the eighth night of the festival to help direct traffic at night,” he said.
During the ceremony, more than 10,000 lanterns and 230,000 decorative bulbs were lit after temple abbot Rev Seck Jit Heng received the Malaysia Book of Records certificates for the tallest pavilion at 89.23m, the tallest bronze Goddess of Mercy (Kuan Yin) statue at 33.67m, and the tallest granite pillars at 42.24m.
Night-time visits to Kek Lok Si will only be allowed during the first 28 days of the Chinese lunar calendar (Feb 14 to March 13).
From now until Feb 12, the temple is only open from 8.30am to 5.30pm.
From the eve to the third day of Chinese New Year, the temple is open from 7pm to 7am.
From the fourth day until the Chap Goh Meh on Feb 28, visits are allowed from 7am to midnight and from March 1 to 13, the times are from 7pm to 10pm. During the ceremony to switch on the lights, the temple presented RM300,000 to the Malaysian Buddhist Institute, Hui Yin Seah and Pu Ai Buddhist Community Service Centre.
“The donation is for their building fund and to help them conduct activities to promote Buddhism,” he said.
State Religious Affairs, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Committee Committee chairman Abdul Malik Abul Kassim, who was also present, described various races visiting each other’s religious place of worship as a “good thing”.
“As a Muslim visiting a temple, I don’t think there’s anything wrong because my faith remains strong and unshaken — even when I am on holiday, I visit many historic churches.
“Such visits should be encouraged because it helps us understand each other’s cultural and religious practices better,” he said.
In his speech, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said it was crucial to have a “shared and inclusive society”.
“This means that we must allow democratic participation by everyone; respect diversity and individual dignity; equal opportunity; and prohibit any form of discrimination.
“Federal and state governments, non-governmental organisations and religious institutions must be rational when handling controversial incidents,” he said.
