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"Modelled after the 500-year-old Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, India, the temple is one-of-a-kind in South-East Asia."
Introduction
The Ayira Vaisyar Sri Meenakshi Sundraeswarar temple is one of the latest addition to Georgetown's list of illustrious and historical religious landmarks, opened to the public in 1998. Located along Jalan Kebun Bunga, the temple was built at an impressive cost of RM2 million and took 3 years to complete.
The temple's architecture is modelled after the 500-year old Meenakshi Amman Temple – one of the biggest temples in India located in Madurai which is dedicated to Shiva (also known as Sundareshvara) and his consort Parvati (also known as Meenakshi). The temple construction even employed labourers from India to ensure the temple's construction adhered closely to that of the original temple in Madurai.
This impressive temple houses nearly 50 statues of Hindu deities, including two notable ones are the Meenakshi Amman and Navakaragam deities, which are made of green stones. It is also said that one of these statues, that of Lingam, came to form by itself somewhere in the Himalayas.
People
The third largest ethnic group in Peninsular Malaysia, the predominantly Hindu Indian community makes up roughly 8% of the population, or close to 2 million, making Malaysia home to the 7th largest group of Hindu adherents in the world. Due to this fact, visitors will notice many other Hindu temples found all over Malaysia, including the one in Batu Caves. Other notable temples in Penang are the Sri Mariamman Temple and the Waterfall Temple.
Travel Advice
If you wish to enter the Ayira Vaisyar Sri Meenakshi Sundraeswarar temple, do ask permission from the temple authorities first. Please also remember, to remove your shoes before entering the temple grounds.
For more information, please contact:
Penang Tourism Action Council
56th Floor, KOMTAR
10000 Penang
Tel : +604-262 0202
Fax : +604-263 1020
Email : enquiry@tourismpenang.gov.my
Last viewed - July 19, 2008
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