Snake Temple
The Snake Temple (Chinese: 蛇庙; pinyin: Shé Miào; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tsuâ-biō) (also called as the Temple of the Azure Cloud)[1] is a Chinese temple situated in Bayan Lepas, Southwest Penang Island District, Penang, Malaysia. It was built in the 1805 for Chor Soo Kong (祖師公), a Buddhist monk.[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]
Snake Temple 蛇庙 | |
---|---|
Front view of Snake Temple | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Buddhism, Taoism |
District | Southwest Penang Island District |
Location | |
Location | Bayan Lepas, George Town |
State | Penang |
Country | Malaysia |
Geographic coordinates | 5°18′50.20″N 100°17′06.71″E |
Architecture | |
Type | Chinese temple |
Completed | 1805 |
The temple also featured during the 8th leg of The Amazing Race 16 and become a location in Tan Twan Eng's novel "The Gift of Rain" (book 1, chapter 4).[4]
History
The temple was constructed in the 1805 to honour Chor Soo Kong (also known as Qingshui), a Buddhist monk who lived during the Song dynasty (960–1279) for his numerous good deeds especially in healing the sick and giving shelter to snakes.[1][2] When the temple structure is completed in the 1800s, snakes coming from the species of Wagler's pit viper reportedly appeared by themselves.[1][5]
Features
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 but still have their fangs intact.[2][3] Other species of snake also available 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]
- Signboard of the temple inside its compound.
- Snake dance in the temple compound during night.
- The temple outside area.
- Viper snakes inside the temple.
References
- Gregory Rodgers (30 May 2018). "A Tour of the Snake Temple in Penang, Malaysia". TripSavvy. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
- Choong Kwee Kim (9 July 2005). "New lure at snake temple in Penang". The Star. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
- 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". Retrieved 11 March 2019 – via Goodreads.
- 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
Media related to Snake Temple at Wikimedia Commons