Kek Lok Si and Air Itam in Penang

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Kek Lok Si sits on a hillside at Air Itam, below Penang Hill, and is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia. Construction began in 1890 under the abbot Beow Lean with the support of Penang's Chinese business community, and it has been extended more or less continuously since. The complex climbs the slope in tiers, culminating in a seven-storey pagoda that combines Chinese, Thai and Burmese architecture in a single structure, and a bronze statue of Kuan Yin over thirty metres tall.

The complex

You enter through a long covered arcade of souvenir stalls and climb through a series of prayer halls, courtyards and turtle ponds. The Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas, completed in 1930, is the centrepiece: seven storeys rising thirty metres, with a Chinese octagonal base, a Thai middle section and a Burmese crown, an architectural argument for Buddhism's regional unity. Above it, an inclined lift climbs to the upper terrace and the Kuan Yin statue, over thirty metres of bronze sheltered under a pillared pavilion completed in 2009.

Chinese New Year

For about a month around Chinese New Year the entire complex is illuminated with tens of thousands of lanterns and coloured lights, and it becomes one of the great sights in Malaysia — the whole hillside glowing above Air Itam, visible from across George Town. It runs from the eve of the new year for roughly thirty nights, opening in the early evening. It is extremely busy and worth it. Outside that period the complex is atmospheric rather than spectacular, and mornings are the quiet time.

Air Itam

The town at the foot of the temple is worth as much time as the temple. Air Itam market is a working morning market with one of the most famous asam laksa stalls in Penang, operating from a small counter beside the market and drawing queues. The area also has good curry mee, koay teow th'ng and dim sum. The Penang Hill funicular base station is here, which makes a natural half-day: market breakfast, temple, funicular, and back down for a late lunch.

Practicalities

Entry to the main complex is free; the pagoda and the inclined lift to the Kuan Yin statue each charge a small fee. Modest dress is expected — shoulders and knees covered. Rapid Penang buses run from George Town to Air Itam in about thirty minutes, or a Grab is 15–25 ringgit. Go early for the light and the quiet, or in the evening during the Chinese New Year illumination. The climb through the complex is substantial in the heat; the inclined lift covers the steepest section.

Kek Lok Si and Air Itam at a glance

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