Temples and Clan Houses in Penang
Part of the Penang travel guide — see every topic in All Penang Guides.
George Town's religious architecture is unusually concentrated and unusually varied, a direct result of its founding as a free port open to all comers. Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling is universally called the Street of Harmony because a mosque, a Chinese temple, a Hindu temple and an Anglican church stand within a few hundred metres of one another, all founded within a few decades of each other around 1800. Alongside them are the clan houses — kongsi — built by Chinese surname associations as temple, meeting hall and statement of wealth.
Khoo Kongsi
The most elaborate clan house in South-East Asia, built by the Khoo clan around a granite square off Lebuh Cannon. The original 1898 building burned within a year of completion — local lore attributes this to a roof too grand for a commoner clan — and the replacement, completed in 1906, is only slightly less extravagant: carved granite pillars, gilded timber beams, and a roof carrying hundreds of ceramic figures made by craftsmen brought from China. There is a small museum and an admission fee, and it is the single best building in George Town.
The Street of Harmony
Kapitan Keling Mosque, founded around 1801 by Indian Muslim traders, with Mughal-influenced domes and a minaret. Kuan Yin Teng, the Goddess of Mercy temple, from the 1720s or 1800s depending on the source, the oldest Chinese temple in Penang and still heavily used, with the incense and crowds to prove it. Sri Mahamariamman, a South Indian Hindu temple founded in 1833 with an elaborate sculpted gopuram. St George's Church, consecrated in 1818, the oldest Anglican church in South-East Asia. Ten minutes' walk covers all four.
The others worth finding
Cheah Kongsi is the oldest clan association in Penang and has a quieter, more domestic feel than Khoo. Yap Kongsi, Han Jiang Ancestral Temple — which won a UNESCO conservation award — and the Acheen Street Mosque, founded in 1808 by an Acehnese trader and once the centre of the Malay-Arab quarter, are all within the core. Further out, the Snake Temple near the airport keeps pit vipers on its altars, and the Dhammikarama Burmese and Wat Chaiyamangalaram Thai temples face each other in Pulau Tikus, the latter holding an enormous reclining Buddha.
Visiting
Most temples and mosques are free; the clan houses charge a small admission. Dress modestly — shoulders and knees covered — and remove shoes where indicated. Mosques provide robes and are open to non-Muslim visitors outside prayer times. Photography is generally allowed but ask before photographing worshippers, and never use flash at an altar. Most sites close by five or six. Chinese New Year, Thaipusam and the Hungry Ghost Festival all transform these buildings and are worth timing a visit around.
Temples and Clan Houses at a glance
| Best building | Khoo Kongsi, rebuilt 1906 — small admission fee |
|---|---|
| Street of Harmony | Mosque, Chinese temple, Hindu temple, church in ~10 minutes |
| Oldest Chinese temple | Kuan Yin Teng, Goddess of Mercy |
| Oldest Anglican church in SE Asia | St George's, consecrated 1818 |
| Further out | Snake Temple; Thai and Burmese temples in Pulau Tikus |
| Dress | Shoulders and knees covered; shoes off where indicated |