War Museum

 

War Museum

War Museum

It was at Bukit Batu Maung, on the southern part of Pulau Pinang that the battle against the invading Japanese army was lost. In the 1930, a formidable fortress was built by the British army atop Bukit Maung, to protect the island against the enemy. Manned by not only British soldiers, but also Malay and Sikh soldiers, Bukit Maung fell during an attack in which the Japanese army approached from inland, rather than from sea, as was expected by the British army.

From that day onwards, the fortress at Bukit Maung transformed into a Japanese army base with a dark history, filled with narrations of how prisoners were tortured for information to help forward the advancement of the Japanese army into Malaya. As a result, Bukit Maung, in the years following the fall of the Japanese army in 1945, the locals in the area kept well away of Bukit Maung for fear of its reputation as a place of hauntings by ghosts of dead soldiers.

The fortress was constructed over 20 acres of land, complete with underground military tunnels and ventilation shafts, ammunition bunkers, logistic centre, canon firing bays, sleeping quarters, cook houses and medical infirmary. After several years of restoration and clearing the fortress area that was covered by shrubs and growths after so many years of abandonment, the fortress was turned into the War Museum by a local Penangite, Johari Shafie three decades later.

Today, a slow walk through the fortress will fire the imagination on what once was. From the canon firing bay  the Straits of Melaka is clearly visible. Although the original canons are no longer on site, it is not difficult to imagine how British, Malay and Sikh soldiers once took turn manning the canon bays day and night, guarding against enemy attach from sea. A simple, but no less remarkable section of underground tunnels – one even leads all the way to the sea, acting as an access tunnel to get to submarines – forces one to walk, or even crawl through very narrow, confined places.

Opening Hour : 9.00am to 6.00pm daily
War Museum Address: No Lot 1350 Mukim 12, Batu Maung Daerah
Barat Daya  11960 Pulau Pinang

The Snake Temple

The Snake Temple

 Built in 1805 in the memory of the renowned Chinese monk Chor Soo Kong, the Snake Temple is situated in the small town of Bayan Lepas and is famous for the fact that it has pit vipers living on the temple ground. Legend has it, that Chor Soo Kong, who was also a healer, gave shelter to the snakes of jungle. After the completion of the temple, snakes appeared on their own accord. Today the snake population of the Temple of the Azure Cloud is very small, due to the urbanization of the area, but you can still see them coiled up on the altar tables, and touch them if you are brave enough. Originally the snakes were said to be rendered inoffensive by the smell of the incenses, but just for good measure, today the resident vipers are devenomed.
History
The origins of snake temples and snake worship go back thousands of years. According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, the snake represented many things to different religions – he was Apollo (the moon god) to the Grecians or Ra (the sun god) to the Egyptians.
The snake has also been variously described as a phallic deity, as a solar deity and as a god of death. The ancient Toltec and Aztec peoples worshipped a colourful feathered serpent called Quetzalcoatl, a half-divine, half-human being who was the great teacher of mankind.
In the field of medicine, the staff of Aesculapius with a coiled serpent became the traditional symbol of medicine and healing. It is told in Genesis that Moses held up a bronze serpent on a staff to cure the Jews of snakebite.
Closer to home, the Hindus, Burmese and Siamese people worshiped the snake as a demon who also had good aspects. The present-day worship of Krishna and Vishnu includes elements borrowed from primitive Hindu snake cults. The shedding of the snake's skin is interpreted by Buddhists as a form of regenerative power.
In China the serpent assumes the form of a dragon, a mythical being which is both fierce yet protective. In Penang, the so-called snake temple was actually built to honour a human deity – the snakes appeared soon after completion of the building.
Beginnings
A monk journeying to Penang from China in the 1800s had in his possession the statue of a famous deity called Cheng-Swee Chor-Soo or Chor Soo Kong, whose name means "an eminent historic figure who is continuously revered by a community generation after generation".
The monk also brought with him myths and legends of this particular deity's power in healing sickness and granting favours to believers. Thus when British resident David Brown (owner of Glugor Estate) heard of this deity and was subsequently cured of an illness in 1873 after praying to him, he donated a tract of land so a temple may be built in homage of the deity who healed him. It is on this land which the Snake Temple has stood for over a century.
The architecture of the temple is a design commonly found in Southern China. Three dimensional sculptures constructed using a technique knows as Chien Nien (cut and paste) from shards of coloured porcelain decorate the roof.
Legend has it that after the temple was built, snakes from the surrounding forest mysteriously appeared in the building. Sensing this phenomenon as a good omen, the monk immediately gave shelter to the snakes and allowed them to take up residence in the sacred halls. They were even allowed to breed. A 600 pound bell made in China during the Manchurian Dynasty (1886) still hangs in the main hall.It is rung on the 1st and 15th days of every month of the Chinese calendar to invite the denizens of heaven and hell to pray.

Opening Hours Weekdays :   Early morning to late evening Weekends & Public Holidays :   Early morning to late evening

Khee Lok Si Temple

The Kek Lok Si Temple is a Buddhist temple situated in Air Itam in Penang and is one of the best known temples on the island.The construction of the temple began in 1893 and was inspired by the chief monk of the Goddess of Mercy Temple at Pitt Street. With the support of the consular representative of China in Penang, the project received the sanction of the Manchu Emperor Guangxu, who bestowed a tablet and gift of 70,000 volumes of the Imperial Edition of the Buddhist Sutras.

The primary benefector of the the Kek Lok Si Temple in 1906 was none other than Kapitan Chung Keng Quee.In 1930, the seven storey main pagoda of the temple or the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas, was completed. This pagoda combines a Chinese octagonal base with a middle tier of Thai design, and a Burmese crown; reflecting the temple's embrace of both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism.

In 2002, a 30.2m bronze statue of the Kuan Yin was completed and opened to public. The statue is located on the hillside above the pagoda.The rambling temple consists of many prayer halls, pagodas, bell towers and just about every other typical temple structure you can think of, in varying styles from Burmese to Chinese to Thai. However, two structures dominate the scenery, especially when the temple is seen from afar. One is the seven storey pagoda which dates from the temple's founding. The other is a huge bronze statue of the Goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin -- a popular diety in Penang. The statue was newly completed in mid-2003 but construction of various surrounding structures is still under way.


History

The history of Kek Lok Si can be traced to the late 19th century. The founder and first Abbott of Kek Lok Si was the Venerable Beow Lean, who was born into a devout Buddhist family in Fujian province in 1844. At the age of 33, he left his occupation as a businessman to devote his life to the teachings of Buddhism. In 1885, he came to Penang with the aim of obtaining donations for the renovation of a monastry in Fuzhou, China.

As faith would have it, the trustees of the oldest temple in Penang, the Kuan Yin Teng (Godess of Mercy Temple) in Pitt Street, offered him the position of Chief Monk-in-residence. Impressed by the deep devotion of the Penang Chinese to Buddhism, he accepted and settled down in Penang."A man determined can move a mountain, but a man devoted can carve one". It was through the sheer diligence, determination and devotion of Venerable Beow Lean that the Kek Lok Si temple began to take shape. With the blessing of his superiors and the unstinting support of five local tycoons, the first phase of the temple complex, which consisted of a series of monasteries, prayer halls, and landscaped gardens, was built between 1891 and 1905.

Even in those early times, fund-raisers were experienced enough to dedicate structures and artefacts to the temple's benefactors. These five substantial benefactors became known as the "Big Five Supporters" of the Kek Lok Si and their life-like sculptures and those of a few other donors are kept in the upper floors of the Tower of Sacred Books, to perpetuate the memory of their generosity.Such was the renown of Kek Lok Si, it even gained the imperial sanction of the Manchu Emperor Kwang Xi who presented the temple with a set of 70,000 volumes of the Imperial Edition of the Buddhist Sutras, the Emperor's hand-written scripts, and several other relics.

Well-known Empress Cixi of the Ching Dynasty also wrote and presented hand-written scripts to the temple. The inscription in Chinese calligraphy Ta Seong Pao Dian on this plaque (picture, right) was written by His Majesty Emperor Kuang Xi of Ching Dynasty and was presented to the First chief Abbot of Kek Lok Si in 1904.Today, these priceless heritage relics still exist in the temple archives.



Opening hours: 9.00am - 6.00pm
Tel: 04-899 8222

Fort Cornwallis

Fort Cornwallis

Fort Cornwallis - named after the Governor-General in Bengal, Charles Cornwallis – is one of the most interesting historical landmarks in George Town, located close to the Esplanade, next to the Victoria Memorial Clock.

The fort's walls, roughly 10 feet high, are laid out in star-like formation. A stroll along the perimeters takes roughly 10 minutes. Inside the fort, one can still see some of the original structures built over a century ago, including a chapel, prison cells, which were once used as barracks, a munitions storage area, a harbour light once used to signal incoming ships, the original flagstaff and several old bronze canons, one of which is a Dutch canon called the Seri Rambai, dated 1603. An interesting note about the Seri Rambai - some locals believe that this particular canon can have a positive effect on a woman's fertility.

Today, this privately managed historical site is popular among visitors, equipped with a tourist information kiosk, cafe, an open-air amphitheatre, a history gallery, a souvenir centre as well as guides who can take you around the fort grounds and provide you with a glimpse of the fort's history.

History
One of the earliest structures in Pulau Pinang, Fort Cornwallis was erected in 1786, not long after he acquired Pulau Pinang for the East India Company, from the Sultan of Kedah. The site where the fort was built is actually the first place where Light disembarked from his ship in 1768. Fort Cornwallis was originally built of nibong palms, but was replaced in 1804 with a sturdier stone and brick structure.

Although built for defense by design, throughout its existence, Fort Cornwallis served more as an administrative centre for the British, having survived without much threat of enemy attacks. Fort Cornwallis was once surrounded with a moat roughly 9m wide and 2m deep. Along the perimeters of the fort's wall, several canon bays were strategically placed overlooking the harbour in the north and the port activities along the eastern waterfront. In the 1920's due to a malaria outbreak in the area, the moat surrounding Fort Cornwallis was filled in.

The chapel located on the south-west corner of the fort is the first chapel ever built on Penang island and was used by the British and Europeans living there. The first-ever recorded service, however was in 1799 when John Timmers wedded Martina Rozells, the widow of Francis Light.

Travel Advice
Fort Cornwallis offers the service of friendly and knowledgeable tour guides, dressed up in smart, red colonial soldier outfits, who can give you a quick and insightful tour of the fort grounds for a small fee. Without the aid of a guidebook or background knowledge of Fort Cornwallis' history, engaging these guides to take you around will be well worth the money!



Opening hours: 9am-6.30pm daily
Admission: Adult- RM3.00, Child- RM2.00
Address: Padang Kota Lama, 10200 Penang, Malaysia.

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