Thean Hou Temple, a synergy of architectural styles

by Naveen Marasinghe

Construction began at the 6,760 square meters (1.67 acres) plot of land on top of the Robson Heights, near the Lorong Bellamy in 1981. The site looks over the Jalan Syed Putra or the federal Highway. The building that was constructed was the Thean Hou Temple. The temple is a Chinese temple and has six levels. Construction at the site was completed in 1987; however the Thean Hou Temple was formally opened to the public in 1989. The Thean Hou Temple is situated in the city of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and is a major attraction. The land and building is owned by the Persatuan Hainan Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan or in English known as the Selangor and Federal Territory Hainan Association, and the site is also maintained by this same group. The Thean Hou Temple was constructed by the Hainanese community that lives in the city of Kuala Lumpur. The Thean Hou Temple is consecrated to the Chinese goddess Tian Hou who known as the Heavenly Mother. The Thean Hou Temple combines architectural elements of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. The grandiose architecture is a major attraction to the tourists. The Taoism temple itself is a combination of contemporary and ancient architectural styles. The Thean Hou Temple consists of a Prayer Hall, a Wishing Well, Chinese Medicinal Herbs Garden, a Tortoise Pond, statues of the goddess Tian Hou and various other depictions and also a statue set among the rocks near a waterfall of the goddess Guan Yin. The goddess Guan Yin is the goddess of Mercy. There are many festival and special event held at the temple. So if one is in the area and planning to spend a few nights there then obviously one should find a serviced residence in Kuala Lumpur. A good place that offers Kuala Lumpur serviced apartments is the Ascott Kuala Lumpur.


About the Author
Naveen Marasinghe is an Online Marketing Executive at eMarketingEye which is a search engine marketing company that offers integrated Internet marketing services and specializes in hotel Internet marketing industry.