One of the foremost destinations for devotees is to visit Hindu Temples in Malaysia during the Thaipusam festivals.
Hindu Temples in Malaysia
The migration of Indians, mainly Tamils and Telugu, to Malaysia (then called Malaya) started in the 1800s.
The British brought Indian nationals to work on rubber plantations, roads, railway lines, and ports.
In the late nineteenth century, Thaipusam came to Malaysia through immigrant Indians who migrated to Southeast Asia mainly to work on rubber plantations.
Main Celebration in Hindu Temples in Malaysia
Thaipusam is a celebration dedicated to the Hindu deity Lord Murugan (youngest son of Shiva and his wife, Parvati).
The most impressive Thaipusam procession in Malaysia takes place in Batu Caves.
The celebrations take place on a grand scale.
- Batu Caves (Sri Subramaniar SwamyTemple) Kuala Lumpur
- Waterfall Temple, Penang
- Kallumalai Arulmigu Subramaniyar Temple, Ipoh
- Muniswarar Temple, Johor
- Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur
- Arulmigu Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Penang
- Tawau Thirumurugan Temple, Tawau, Sabah
Thaipusam is a time for Hindus of all castes and cultures to worship one of their Gods, Lord Murugan, a Shiva son.
They brought the festival of Thaipusam to Malaysia in the 1800s.
Image: Lam Wee On
List of Hindu Temples in Malaysia
A list of Hindu temples dates back more than a century in Malaysia.
A
Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple, Penang (1872)
The Balathandayuthapani Temple, officially the Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Kovil, and popularly known as the Waterfall Hill Temple or “Thaneer Malai” by locals.
The temple complex is near the Botanical Gardens in George Town, Penang.
The main deity of this temple is Murugan. Visitors need to climb 513 stairs to reach the temple.
This is the site of the Thaipusam festival in Penang.
Address: 17, Jalan Kebun Bunga, Pulau Tikus, 10350 George Town, Penang | Telephone: +604-262 0202
District: George Town
Architectural style: Dravidian architecture
Year Completed: 1782
Arulmigu Karumariamman Temple (1997)
The Arulmigu Karumariamman Temple of Seberang Jaya is a South Indian Hindu temple noted for having the largest raja gopuram, or main sculpture tower,
The temple is 72 feet high. At 21 feet tall and 11 feet wide, the Raja Gopuram entrance is the biggest in Malaysia.
Address: Jalan Todak, 13700 Perai, Penang | Telephone: +604-397 1081
District: Seberang Jaya
Architectural style: Dravidian architecture
Year Completed: 1997
Arulmigu Maha Muthu Mariamman Thevasthanam (1962)
Arulmigu Maha Muthu Mariamman Thevasthanam is a Hindu temple located in Kopisan Baru, Gopeng, Kampar District, Perak, Malaysia.
Address: Kopisan Baru, 31600 Gopeng, Perak
District: Kampar District
Architectural style: Dravidian architecture
Completed: 1962
Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Glass Temple (1922)
The Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Glass Temple is a central Hindu temple in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
It is Johor state’s tourist attraction, and on 12 May 2010, it was listed as the first and only glass temple in the nation’s Malaysian Book of Records.
Address: Jalan Tun Abdul Razak 1/1, Wadi Hana, 80300 Johor Bahru, Johor
Telephone: +607-224 5152
Architectural style: Dravidian architecture
District: Johor Bahru District
Completed: 1922
B
Batu Caves
Batu Caves is also called 10th Caves or Hill for Lord Muruga, as there are six important holy shrines in India and four more in Malaysia.
The three others in Malaysia are the Kallumalai Temple in Ipoh, the Tanneermalai Temple in Penang, and the Sannasimalai Temple in Malacca.
Source: Wikipedia – Batu Caves
Image: Max Teoh Yeam Chuan
J
Jalan Baru Sri Muniswarar Temple (1870)
The Jalan Baru Sri Muniswarar Temple is a Hindu temple in Jalan Baru, Prai, Penang.
This temple was one of the most famous temples in Malaysia.
The temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Muniswarar. “Muni” means “saint”, and “Īshwara” represents Shiva.
Most Shaivite families in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka worship him as a family deity.
Today, Shree Muniswarar Temple is most famous for blessing newly purchased cars.
Address: 3114, Jalan Baru, Taman Supreme, 13700 Perai, Penang
Telephone: +604-390 1957
District: Perai
Architectural style: Dravidian architecture
Year Completed: 1870
K
Kallumalai Arulmigu Subramaniyar Temple (Kallumalai Murugan), Ipoh (1930)
Set among the limestone hills in Ipoh,
The Kallumalai Arulmigu Subramaniyar was founded in 1930. It is a place for Hindu devotees to worship its main deity, Lord Murugan.
Besides the altar and the 21.3m-tall Raja Gopuram, built in 2010, with 528 statues, the temple also has a wedding hall and a dining hall.
The temple’s unique feature is its peacock enclosure. In Hindu mythology, peacocks are depicted as Lord Murugan’s preferred carrier.
Source: Visit Malaysia Today
L
Lord Murugan Statue
Lord Murugan Statue, representing Murugan, is the tallest statue of a Hindu deity in Malaysia.
It is the third tallest statue of a Hindu deity in the world, after the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Statue in Indonesia and the Kailashnath Mahadev Statue in Nepal.
It is the tallest statue in Malaysia at 42.7 meters in height.
Source: Wikipedia – Lord Murugan Statue
Cover Image: Des Louis
N
Nattukkottai Chettiar Temple, Penang (1935)
The Nattukkottai Chettiar Temple is a temple of the Chettiar community in Penang, Malaysia.
Its full name is Nattukkottai Chettiar Thendayuthapani Temple, also called the Arulmigu Thandayuthapani Temple.
It is opposite the Sri Meenakshi Sundraeswar Temple.
The procession of the silver chariot during Thaipusam eve ends here.
Address: Jalan Kebun Bunga, Pulau Tikus, 10350 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Telephone: 016-404 0887
Founded: 1854
Year Completed: 1935
O
Om Sri Maha Athi Nageswary Amman Temple, Puchong (2013)
The Nageswary Amman Temple, officially known as the Om Sri Maha Athi Nageswary Amman Temple, is a Hindu temple in Puchong, Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia.
This temple was founded in 2013 by Datuk K. Rajan and was officially consecrated in February 2016.
Address: 5, LDP, 47100 Puchong, Selangor
Telephone: 016-327 0804
Architectural style: Dravidian architecture
Year Completed: 2013 (consecrated in 2016)
S
- Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple
- Sree Maha Mariamman Devasthanam Temple, Butterworth
- Sri Aghora Veerapathra Temple
- Sri Kandaswamy Kovil, Brickfields
- Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur
- Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Penang
- Sri Marathandavar Bala Dhandayuthapani Alayam
Sri Poyatha Moorthi Temple (1781)
Sri Poyatha Moorthi Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Malaysia and one of the oldest functioning Hindu temples in Maritime Southeast Asia.
This is one of the few existing Chitty temples in Malaysia. It is located in the state of Melaka.
Address: 5 to 11, Jalan Tukang Emas, 75200, Melaka
Telephone: +606-281 0693
Architectural style: Dravidian architecture
Year Completed: 1781
Deity: Ganesha
Image: Max Teoh Yeam Chuan
Sri Sithi Vinayagar Temple
Sri Sithi Vinayagar Temple is a Hindu temple along Jalan Selangor in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. The temple is known as the PJ Pillaiyar Temple. The resident deity is Ganesha, who is represented by Sri Sithi Vinayagar.
Address: 8, Jalan Selangor, Pjs 4, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Telephone: 03-7782 1730
Architectural style: Dravidian architecture
Year Completed: 1964
Deity: Ganesha
Sri Sunderaraja Perumal Temple (1893)
Better known as Klang Perumal Temple, the Sri Sundararaja Perumal Temple is a 127-year-old temple in Klang, Selangor in Malaysia.
Address: 80, Persiaran Raja Muda Musa, Kawasan 6, 41200 Klang, Selangor
Telephone: +603-3371 1763
Year Completed: 1893
Sri Shakti Devasthanam Temple (2013)
They built Sri Shakti Temple to reflect India’s finest architecture. Built on an acre of elevated land in Bukit Rotan, Kuala Selangor, it is a unique beacon of Hindu architectural excellence in Malaysia.
Address: Jalan Kuala Selangor, Bukit Rotan, 45700 Bukit Rotan, Selangor
Telephone: 011-1634 7989
Year Completed: 2013
Source: Visit Selangor
Sri Ayyanar Hindu Temple, Taiping
This Hindu temple in Malaysia has connections with a local Tamil village in India.
A Tamil migrant worker named Periamma made a tiny Sri Ayyanar Hindu god statue with sand and clay from India.
The tiny makeshift temple attained popularity and is a popular and splendid temple today, with a magnificent 72-foot-tall Sri Ayyanar statue. The original idol, which Periamma crafted centuries ago, is still kept there.
Sri Sundaraja Perumal Temple, Klang
Named after the place where it is located, the Klang Perumal Temple in the Klang area of Malaysia’s Selangor region is the Vaishnavite Malaysian temple, famous as the oldest among all.
This temple is denoted with many metaphors, including being called the “Thirupathi of Southeast Asia” and Sri Sundararaja Perumal Temple, among other popular names, for Hindus to worship in the Malaysian region.
As many South Indian Hindus worship Lord Vishnu, this temple is thus dedicated to the Lord Vishnu deity.
Address: No. 80, Jalan Mastika Off Psn Raja Muda Musa, Selangor, 41100 Klang
Telephone: 03-3371 1763
Source: Wikipedia – Sri Sunderaraja Perumal Temple
