Goddess of Mercy Temple

Goddess of Mercy Temple is one of the oldest Chinese temple in Penang located at Jalan  Kapitan Keling, Penang, Malaysia. The temple is also known as Kuan Yin Temple. It was built in the 1728 by early Chinese settlers. You would be surprised because originally at the time it was built, the temple was not dedicated to Kuan Yin but rather to Ma Chor Po, the virgin goddess of mercy and saint to sea voyagers. The high roof of the main hall is supported by dragon-entwined pillars carved from a type of green stone. The statue of Kuan Yin as a serenely composed woman with 18 arms sits on an inner chamber.

the roof of the temple

Nowadays, this temple is popular with most Chinese. Majority Chinese come to offer prayers to Kuan Yin for some good reasons. It could be sickness or in good health, one will go to offer thanks. During Chinese New Year, offerings of gratitude to the Goddess of Mercy is widely practiced by most locals. The temple interior is usually filled with the scent of sandalwood incense, burnt by the devotees. Despite the crowd, you can actually feel the quietness and deep prayers being offered by the devotees who go in to pray.

The temple offers the best experience of seeing a Chinese temple in action. It is one of the busiest temples within the inner city of George Town, and there is a great photo opportunity everywhere around the temple compound as well as within.

the incenses burnt by the devotees (in front of the temple)

St. George’s Church

St. George’s Anglican Church is the oldest Anglican church in Southeast Asia and located at the corner of Lebuh Farquhar and Jalan Mesjid Kapitan Keling, Penang, Malaysia. The church was named after the patron saint of England.  It was completed in 1818 on initiative of Penang Colonial Chaplain, Rev. Robert Sparke Hutchings and consecrated on 11 May 1819 by the Bishop of Calcutta, Thomas Fanshawe Middleton. The Greek temple in the church grounds is a memorial to Francis Light.

It’s location is also fortuitous; lined up in the same row, and within walking distance from the church, are the Kuan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) Temple and the Kapitan Keling Mosque; a silent reminder of the religious harmony that is sacred to all Penangites. The compassion of Buddhism, the simplicity of Islam and the serenity of Christianity, each unique in its own way, but together they represent the intertwined strands of George Town’s populace.

St. George’s Anglican Church