Snake Temple
| Snake Temple | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhism, Taoism, Chinese folk beliefs |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Jalan Tokong Ular, Bayan Lepas |
| Municipality | George Town |
| State | Penang |
| Country | Malaysia |
  Location within George Town | |
| Geographic coordinates | 5°18′50.20″N 100°17′06.71″E / 5.3139444°N 100.2851972°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Chinese temple |
| Completed | 1805 |
The Snake Temple (Chinese: 蛇庙; pinyin: Shé Miào; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tsuâ-biō), also known as the Temple of the Azure Clouds,[1] is a Chinese temple within George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located at Bayan Lepas, the temple is well-known for being a refuge of resident snakes, said to be reincarnated disciples of the deified Buddhist monk Master Qingshui, to whom the temple is dedicated.[1][2]
Devotees from as far away as Singapore, Taiwan and China come to pray in the temple on the monk's birthday (the sixth day of the first lunar month).[3] It was also featured during the 8th leg of The Amazing Race 16 and become a backdrop of Tan Twan Eng's novel The Gift of Rain (book 1, chapter 4).[4]
History
[edit]The temple was constructed in the 1805 to honour Chor Soo Kong (also known as Master Qingshui), a Buddhist monk who lived during the Song dynasty (960–1279) for his numerous miracles and good deeds especially in healing the sick and giving shelter to snakes.[1][2] When the temple structure was completed in the 1800s, snakes coming from the species of Wagler's pit viper reportedly appeared by themselves.[1][5]
Features
[edit]The temple is filled with the smoke of burning incense and a variety of pit vipers.[6] The vipers are believed to be rendered harmless by the sacred smoke, but as a safety precaution, the snakes have been de-venomed while still retaining their fangs.[2][3] Other species of snakes are also found in the temple.[2][7] Visitors are warned against picking up the reptiles and placing them on their bodies to take pictures. Aside from the snakes, two brick wells known as the "Dragon Eye Wells/Dragon Pure Water Wells" are located inside the temple together with two giant brass bells.[1] In 2005, a snake breeding centre was set up in the temple.[2]
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Snake dance in the temple compound during night. -
The temple exterior. -
Viper snakes inside the temple.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Gregory Rodgers (30 May 2018). "A Tour of the Snake Temple in Penang, Malaysia". TripSavvy. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Choong Kwee Kim (9 July 2005). "New lure at snake temple in Penang". The Star. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
- ^ a b Erny Suzira (10 January 2016). "Famous places to visit in Malaysia: Penang". The Hive Asia. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
- ^ Tan Twan Eng. "The Gift of Rain". Goodreads. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
- ^ Clive Roots (2006). Nocturnal Animals. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 39–. ISBN 978-0-313-33546-4.
- ^ Alan Teh Leam Seng (16 July 2017). "A Penang Scotsman's legacy". New Straits Times. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
- ^ Anthony Tan (23 April 2011). "Python the star attraction at Snake Temple". The Star. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Snake Temple at Wikimedia Commons
| Mosques | |
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| Buddhist temples | |
| Taoist temples | |
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| Multifaith sites | |
Prominent Buddhist temples in Malaysia | ||
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