Sri Ranganatha Swami Madalayam

Sri Ranganatha Swami Madalayam (29 January 2005)


The Sri Ranganatha Swami Madalayam is a Hindu sanctuary on the slopes of Bukit Dumbar in Gelugor, Penang. It was built for the purpose of seeking enlightenment and spiritual attainment.

The slopes of Bukit Dumbar has attracted Hindu religious teachers, or swami, as well as ascetics, or siddhar, as a place for meditation. One of these siddhars was Sri Ragunatha Swami who was instrumental in the construction of the madalayam. He managed to procure funding from an anonymous donor, and obtained the assistance of then mayor of George Town, D.S. Ramanathan, in having the structure erected.


Sri Ranganatha Swami Madalayam (29 January 2005)


The Sri Ranganatha Swami Madalayam was completed in the early 1930s. The main deity at the Madalayam is Shiva. One of the structures is the podium for the sivalingam. After the madalayam was built, Sri Ranganatha Swami continued to live there, leading the ascetic life of a recluse, often isolated underground and visited only by his followers which include other swamis and siddhars.

Sri Ranganatha Swami attained Jeeva Samadhi in late 1947. After his demise, his follower Sri Ragunatha Swami continued the maintenance of the madalayam and practised the spiritual art of meditation with fellow swamis there. In 1954 the care of Sri Ranganatha Swami Madalayam passed to Arumugam Swami who continued the tradition.

Sri Ranganatha Swami Madalayam entrance arch (17 April 2013)


To enchance the spiritual development, Arumugam Swami also built a separate temple and shrine to Murugan adjacent to the madalayam. The sanctuary next passed to Gurunathan Swami who in 1998 established a management team, appointed trustees and set up a committeee for the running and development of the madalayam. The madalayam held a kumba abeisham, or consecration ceremony, on 21 August, 2005.

1008 Siva Lingam Project

A 1008 Sivalingam project was launched at the Sri Ranganatha Swami Madalayam on 21 August 2007. It was headed by Mr Vamathevan, PJK, PKT.

Sri Ranganatha Swami Madalayam, Gelugor (17 April 2013)

Getting there

The nearest bus stop is along Jalan Gelugor. It is served by Rapid Penang bus 301, 302, 303 and 304.

Sri Ranganatha Swami Madalayam is on the Map of Gelugor, Penang

List of Hindu Temples in Penang and Hindu Temples in Malaysia

Private Guided Tours of Penang

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.

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

Map of Roads in Penang

Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.