Penang Chinese Taoist Temples are some of the most elaborate and ornate in Malaysia, due partly to the sheer number of Chinese inhabitants in the community, and also to the prosperity of the Chinese especially from the second half of 19th century until the Second World War, when most of the Chinese Taoist temples of Penang were built. Among the Chinese, many practise a form of Taoism that bears elements of Mahayana Buddhism. As such it is not surprising to see images of Taoist deities alongside the Bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism, all within the same temple.
The earliest of the Chinese Taoist temples is Kong Hock Keong, better known as Kuan Im Teng, or in English, the Temple of the Goddess of Mercy. Initially built by early immigrants to venerate Ma Chor Po, also called Matsu, the patron deity of seafarers, over time the temple became better associated with the Kuan Yin, or Goddess of Mercy. Its formal name of Kong Hock Keong came about because it is the temple built by those the Hokkien and the Cantonese dialect groups in Penang.
In addition to the Temple of the Goddess of Mercy, other noted Chinese temples in Penang include the Kek Lok Si Temple in Ayer Itam, the Tanjong Tokong Tua Pek Kong Temple, which is the most famous of all the Tua Pek Kong temples in Penang, and the Sam Poh Footprint Temple in Batu Maung venerating the footprint of Admiral Zheng He. Not to be left out, the Thai and Burmese communities also built temples in Penang. But while many of the Chinese temples are Taoist by nature, and used for the worship of Taoist deities or deitified personalities, the Thai and Burmese temples are chiefly Buddhist temples, albeit with local elements incorporated into them.
On this page we view the Chinese temples in Penang. The majority are those located on Penang Island, although a few Chinese temples on the mainland is also included, as well as the Thai and Buddhist temples.
If you are seeking private guided tours of Penang, message Penang Tour Guides at penangtourguides@gmail.com and enquire with them.
Buy, rent or sell properties in Penang
Do you have a property for sale or to rent out? Are you looking to buy or rent a property? Get in touch with me. WhatsApp me (Timothy Tye) at 012 429 9844, and I will assign one of my property agents to serve you. I will choose the agent for you, according to your property needs. So when you message me, provide me some details of what you need, whether to sell, to buy, to rent or to rent out, and what type of property, is it condo, apartment, house, shop, office or land.
Adakah anda mempunyai hartanah untuk dijual atau disewakan? Adakah anda ingin membeli atau menyewa hartanah? Hubungi saya. WhatsApp saya (Timothy Tye) di 012 429 9844, dan saya akan menugaskan salah seorang ejen hartanah saya untuk berkhidmat kepada anda. Saya akan pilih ejen untuk anda, mengikut keperluan hartanah anda. Oleh itu, apabila anda menghantar mesej kepada saya, berikan saya beberapa butiran tentang apa yang anda perlukan, sama ada untuk menjual, untuk membeli, untuk disewakan atau untuk disewakan, dan jenis hartanah apakah itu kondo, pangsapuri, rumah, kedai, pejabat atau tanah.
Let me take you to explore and discover Penang through my series of walking tours on YouTube. You may use these videos as your virtual tour guide. At the beginning of each video, I provide the starting point coordinates which you may key into your GPS, Google Maps or Waze, to be navigated to where I start the walk, and use the video as your virtual tour guide.
Disclaimer
Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.
Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.