Sri Krishna Bagawan Alayam Temple

Sri Krishna Bagawan Alayam Temple, Taman Pekaka, Sungai Dua (26 December 2004)


Sri Krishna Bagawan Alayam Temple (GPS: 5.35012, 100.29577) is a Hindu temple in Taman Pekaka, Sungai Dua. Located on Jalan Murai, it used to be a temple that served the needs of the rural settlers, but with Penang developing rapidly, Sri Krishna Bagawan Alayam is now in the midst of an urban housing estate.

When Sri Krishna Bagawan Alayam was founded in the early 20th century, Taman Pekaka has not even existed yet. The first temple was constructed in an Indian settlement around Jalan Sungai Dua Besar, Lorong Sungai Dua and Batu Uban. It was called Sri Ramar Madam-Math and was dedicated to the Hindu deity Krishna. It served as the focal point for the surrounding Tamil community.

Around the year 1932, the temple was asked by the government to shift when its original site, where the present USM Guard post in Jalan Sungai Dua is located, had to be vacated to facilitate the construction of the Minden Army Barrack. The temple was provided with financial and building material. A generous Chinese landlord leased out a plot of land for the building of the temple.

On 30 July 1965, the temple was registered with the Registrar of Societies, Penang, and at the same time, took on a new name, Sri Krishna Bagawan Alayam. An anonymous buyer bought the land on which the temple stood in 1966, and sold it to SPPK (Syarikat Koperasi Pegawai-Pegawai Kerajaan) in 1968. From 1986, the temple committee was in active dialogue with the SPPK to purchase the land and rebuilt the temple.An agreement was reached, and the SPPK completed the construction of a new temple in August 1988. However, it failed to accommodate the growing needs and requirements of the devotees. Hence, in 1991, another agreement was sealed to reconstruct the temple. After a few years of delay, the temple was finally dedicated on 31 October 2004, at 10:10am.

I took the photos of the temple and interviewed the member of the temple committee. However, with my heavy backlog, I only managed to publish this feature close to a year after it was researched. What makes this temple unique, and different from other Hindu temples in Penang - or for that matter elsewhere in Malaysia and even South India - is that the exterior of the temple is painted in single colour. Only below the ceiling do you find a riot of colours apart from the standard beige. According to the temple authority, this facilitates general upkeep and maintenance.

Getting there

The nearest bus stop is along Jalan Sungai Dua. It is served by Rapid Penang bus 303 and 304.

Sri Krishna Bagawan Alayam Temple is on the Map of Gelugor, Penang

Sri Krishna Bagawan Alayam Temple (26 December 2004)


An outer shrine at Sri Krishna Bagawan Alayam with the deity Ganesh (26 December 2004)


Sri Krishna Bagawan Alayam Temple (26 December 2004)


The mandapa (pillared pavilion) of Sri Krishna Bagawan Alayam Temple (26 December 2004)

360° Street View of Sri Krishna Bagawan Alayam Temple

List of Hindu Temples in Penang and Hindu Temples in Malaysia