Sri Kandaswamy Kovil - Traveling Thru History

30 Things To Do In Kuala Lumpur

Erin — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 23:28:34 +0000

Kuala Lumpur is a great city to visit. I absolutely love it there and think everyone should visit at least once in their lives. There is a lot of history in KL and quite a lot of unique things to see, though it’s not always easy to figure out what those things are. When we first moved to KL and were looking for things to do, the most common things found were KL Tower, Petronas Tower and Batu Caves. While these things are fun and worth doing, there is sooooooooooooooooo much more to do there. So, to help you have a full experience of the neat things in Kuala Lumpur, I’ve compiled a list of things to do in six different categories. Whether you are visiting for a week or two or there for a quick weekend layover, here are some interesting things to spend your time on. WILDLIFE & OUTDOORS BUKIT LAGONG RESERVE RAINFOREST AND CANOPY WALK This place is was started as a plant research center back in 1992 and is now a famous preserve that spans 3,775 acres. There are easy paths to wander around with four jungle treks for those looking for more of a challenge. In the forest are rivers, waterfalls, the remnants of an old Orang Asli settlement as well as a plethora of trees, bamboo, plants and wildlife. You can walk, jog, picnic, bicycle, bird-watch and visit an insect house and herbal botanic garden. If heights don’t bother you, there is also a canopy walk that takes you 98 feet above the forest floor. For preservation reasons, only 250 people are allowed on the canopy per day, 200 advance tickets and 50 walk-in. To reserve your canopy tickets, email FRIM One Step Centre at frim_enquiry@frim.gov.my. As a side note, Malaysia gets pretty hazy at certain times during the year, which results in the reserve closing. Please check here for the daily API readings (posted at 7am) before heading to the reserve. If the API readings are above 150 for Batu Muda, Kuala Lumpur, the reserve will be closed. HOURS – 9:30am-1:30pm, closed Monday and Friday – advanced booking required PRICE – RM10 Adults, RM1 Children. There are also camera fees for professional equipment. LOCATION – The reserve is located NW of Batu Caves in Northern KL. If you want to take a taxi, I’d recommend going to KL Sentral and purchasing a taxi coupon. This ensures that the driver cannot overcharge you. If you want to hail a taxi, be sure the drive turns the meter on. You can also take the KTM Komuter from KL Sentral to Kepong Sentaral Station. Kepong Sentral Station is AFTER Kepong Station. From there you can get a taxi for about RM 7. Just be sure the driver uses the meter. KUALA GANDAH ELEPHANT SANCTUARY We really enjoyed our trip to Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary. This place is an elephant rescue where elephants who are injured in the wild or are damaging farmlands can stay until they’ve either healed or a new home can be found for them. They have a video where you can learn more about what they do, an exhibit about elephants and the history of elephants in Malaysia along with beautiful grounds to wander around. Oh, and a small restaurant where you can get ice cream, snacks and drinks. As for the actual elephants on site, you cannot ride them, but you can feed them and watch them play in the water before the handlers do a small demonstration (maybe about 5-7 min). Then you can feed them again. Be sure to bring a snack for the elephants as the provided fruit gets snatched up quickly. I would allow at least half a day for this destination. HOURS – 9:00am-4:45pm PRICE – Donation LOCATION – The sanctuary is located by Lanchang, Pahang, and is about a 2 hour drive. To get there, drive on the Karak Highway towards the east coast and exit at Lanchang. There are signs that will show you which way to go. These are the GPS coordinates if you’d like to use those: 3˚ 35’34.4”N and 102˚ 08’37.7”E. You also can reach the center by train if you stop at Bandar Jengka or Termeloh and take a taxi from there. if you choose the train and taxi route, add an extra hour each way to your travel time. LAKE GARDENS PARK This park is also known as Taman Tasik Perdana or Perdana Botanical Garden. I really love Lake Gardens Park and went there several times while living nearby. There is a beautiful lake with walking trains, bike paths, covered pavilions to sit under, picnic tables, benches, pavilions in trees, meticulously sculptured gardens, several play areas with large toys for kids and there are several animal exhibits, though those cost to get in. BUT, you can still see the deer through the fence and can feed them if they come near. There is also a cafe, public restrooms (pay to use), bike rentals (RM3 for 30 min) and a trolley tour of the park (RM2 for adults, RM1 for children). Duration of your visit depends on what all you want to do. For a quick tour, 1-2 hours. For a leisurely visit, 3-4 hours. HOURS – 7:00am-8:00pm PRICE – Free for the park, entrance fees for extraneous attractions. LOCATION – 10-minute walk from KL Sentral, minutes from the Bird Park and the National Museum, right next door to Tun Abdul Razak Memorial House. Taxi is the best way to get there if you don’t want to walk from KL Sentral. KL BIRD PARK While a bit on the pricier side, this is a nice place to visit. There is a lot of wildlife around the park along with lovely landscaping and beautiful plants. There are a number of bird feeding demonstrations throughout the day along with a full-on bird show. We didn’t get to see the bird show, but I’ve heard it is quite entertaining. If you want to get up close and personal with some of the birds, you can purchase a ticket to get a photograph with birds perched on your shoulders and head. And for the learning part, there is an indoor informational section that teaches about the different bird species and the area. Plan to spend 1-2 hours. HOURS – 9:00am-6:00pm PRICE – RM48/25 Adults, RM38/12 Children (lower prices are for those with a MyKad ID card) LOCATION – 15-minute walk from KL Sentral, minutes from the Lake Gardens Park and the National Museum, just up the street from Tun Abdul Razak Memorial House. Taxi is the best way to get there if you don’t want to walk from KL Sentral. CHILLING FALLS We had a lot of fun at Chiling Falls. The hike isn’t too strenuous, but the water does get waist-deep on a 6′ adult and can be a little fast at times, so if you’re not steady on your feet, you may just want to hike the first little bit. If you’re ready for a muddy hike through lots of foliage and crossing rivers, you won’t be disappointed. This hike is beautiful and very worth it. The pool under the lower waterfall is deep enough to swim in and there are monkeys that hang out there sometimes. Wear sturdy shoes, bring bug spray and a small backpack with water and snacks. The drive is about 1.5 hours each way and the hike takes about 3 hours roundtrip (excluding stops), so plan on this taking at least 6 hours. HOURS – 8:00am-6:00pm, Friday-Sunday PRICE – RM1 per person LOCATION – This hike is located inside the Sungai Chiling Fish Sanctuary. If you go to Kuala Kubu Bharu (do NOT go to Kuala Kubu Baru) and then continue on to Fraser’s Hill (Bukit Fraser), you will pass Selangor Dam and reservoir. Shortly after passing Selangor Dam you will cross a small steel bridge. There is a parking area on your left just after the bridge and the entrance to the park is on the right side of the road. Back to Top MUSEUMS ISLAMIC ARTS CENTER The Islamic Arts Center is pretty great. It is currently the largest Islamic museum in SE Asia and houses over 7,000 artifacts. They have a revolving exhibition in one section and a static exhibition in the rest of the complex. The revolving exhibit when we were there was about the history of Malaysia’s independence from Great Britain. The static exhibits showcase ancient Islamic seals, miniature replicas of Islamic buildings from around the world, beautiful Arabic manuscripts, wall carvings, mosaics, metalwork, qur’ans, prayer books, room replicas from the ancient Ottoman empire, portraits, ancient trinkets, swords, jewelry, armor, glassware, chess boards and clothing. There are so many amazing things to look at there. And there’s a cafe as well as a gift shop, so you can rest a bit before buying something to bring home to remind you of your visit. 🙂 The time you spend depends on whether you want to go for the experience or to learn about the culture. If you just want to make a cursory tour of the place, plan about 1.5-2. If you want to REALLY look at the stuff and read about it, I’d plan maybe 3-4 hours. HOURS – 10:00am-6:00pm PRICE – RM14 for adults, children 6 & under are free LOCATION – The Islamic Arts Museum is about a two-minute walk from the National Mosque, about 10 minutes from Lake Garden Park and about 5 minutes from the Bird Park. To get there, you can take a taxi from anywhere or you can take the KTM Kmuter to the Kuala Lumpur stop and then either walk or take a taxi. It’s about a 5 minute walk from the station. TUN ABDUL RAZAK HOUSE They completely remodeled this place while we were there and I have to say that it looks really nice. All the rooms are set up with authentic period furniture with interactive touch screens that give quite a bit of information. There are also signboards with pictures and additional information. It’s really quite well put-together and is worth a short visit. Plan to spend about 30-45 minutes there. HOURS – Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun: 10:00am-5.30pm, Fri: 10:00am – 12:00pm, 3:00pm – 5.30pm, Closed on Mondays PRICE – Free LOCATION – Adjacent to Lake Garden Park. 1-2 minutes from the Bird Park. To get there, you can take a taxi from anywhere or you can take the KTM Komuter to the Kuala Lumpur stop and then either walk or take a taxi. It’s about a 5-10 minute walk from the station. NATIONAL MUSEUM This museum is pretty fun. It has a lot of neat cultural items and an entire building dedicated to replicas of ancient houses, tools, weapons and daily use items. The museum is a decent size and has exhibits dedicated to early Malaysian civilizations, the development of the Malay kingdoms, what life was like during the Colonial era and important events since Malaysia became independent in 1957 along with an outdoor exhibit of various modes of transportation from throughout Malaysia’s history. There is a gift shop and a cafeteria on-site. Plan to spend 1-2 hours here. HOURS – 9:00am-6:00pm PRICE – RM5 Adults, RM2 Children 6-10, Free Children under 6 LOCATION – Short walk from KL Sentral. To get there you can walk over a freeway overpass (not as dangerous as it sounds, I did it several times) or you can take a taxi or RapidKL bus No.115 (RM2 per day). This is also a stop on the Hop-On Hop-Off Tour, so you can get there that way as well. KUALA LUMPUR CITY GALLERY This place is pretty neat. It may be small, but it’s worth a quick stop if you’re in the area. There is a small exhibit on the history of the city as well as information about important historic places around town. There are some really old maps of the city, scale-model buildings, a seasonal exhibit corner and a scale-model light-up city that has a short demo reel along with some other really interesting things. The demo reel with the light-up city lasts about 2 minutes and...

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Sri Kandaswamy Kovil

Erin — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 22:19:41 +0000

During the 1800s large groups of Tamil Hindus moved from Sri Lanka to Malaysia to help construct railway lines. Many ended up settled in the area that is now known as Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur because it was so close to where the lines were being built. Life was much improved from what it had been in Sri Lanka, but many of them missed having a formal temple to worship in. Up until 1890 they had been worshiping informally in homes and at small, makeshift shrines. On December 24, 1890, though, the leaders of the Saivite Ceylon Hindu Community decided they wanted something more permanent and the plan for Sri Kandaswamy Kovil was born. The Saivite community was thrilled to have a formal temple in which to perform sacred ceremonies such as “Viratham” (fasting ceremony), “Thithis” (commemoration rituals) and “Punniyaahavaasam” (purification ceremony). The original structure was modelled exctly after the Nallur Kanthaswamy Temple in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, and inaugurated in 1902. Over the years has had several expansions and in 1992 the temple went through a complete renovation. The first series of renovations were completed in 1997 and another renovation was done from 2009-2011. With renovations and constructional updates complete, Sri Kandawamy Kovil is once again a vibrant and elegant symbol of devotion for the thousands of Tamil Hindus living in Kuala Lumpur. This Hindu temple actually has special significance to us, as well. The handyman for our apartment was Hindu and shortly after our arriving in Malaysia he invited us to his niece’s wedding at this temple. It was such a neat experience and made this temple have a special place in our hearts. A few months after the wedding we decided we needed to go back to this temple and get some pictures of it. We’d taken pictures of the actual wedding, but hadn’t taken pictures of the temple or the grounds since there were people, cars, tents and wedding signs all over the place. But we did get some great photos of the wedding, which I do need to post. One day. *sigh* The first thing anyone notices about a Hindu temple is the Gopuram. A Gorpura is an ornate monumental tower at the entrance of any Hindu temple. This is a prominent feature of Koils, Hindu temples of the Dravidian style. They are covered in statues of Hindu deities and topped by the kalasam, a bulbous stone finial. The use of Gopurams dates back to India during the Tamil Pallava dynasty which held power between the 3rd and 9th centuries. These colossal feats of architecture function as gateways between the outside world and the inner sanctum of the temple. There is usually more than one Gopura on a temple, but the one over the main entrance is the largest and most elaborate. This is the Gopura over the back entrance. And this is the Gopura over the side entrance. We attempted to go inside, thinking it would be okay, but a Hindu priest kindly ushered us back out and told us only Hindus could enter the temple. We were disappointed because the little we saw was so beautiful, but we were able to get one picture from the door before he told us that was not allowed either. Since we couldn’t go inside, we sufficed with wandering around the grounds. I’d seen them many times from the monorail that goes over the temple and was excited to finally be wandering around them. I kinda wonder, though, how thrilled the devotees are to have the monorail going over their temple grounds every 5-12 minutes. The grounds of the temple aren’t large, but they are fascinating. In Hinduism, water has a similar significance as in Christianity: it is believed to have spiritually cleansing powers. Hindus are required to participate in a ritual cleansing in a pool on temple grounds before entering the temple. I’ve been unable to discover the symbolism of these statues, but I have my theories. The main Hindu Water God is male, so it’s possible these are his priestesses or these could also be representations of the Ganga, the goddess of the sacred river Ganges. Or they could represent something else entirely. In any case, they’re quite lovely. We also found this cute cow sculpture near the pool. While there is a misconception that Hindus worship cows, they do hold cows in high esteem because of the life-giving offerings of the cow. Long ago cows were sacrificed and eaten, but Hinduism has evolved to where the cow is no longer sacrificed, but things the cow produces are used in rituals. So you will usually find a statue of a cow at a Hindu temple. The last part of the temple grounds is the temple garden, called Nanthavanam. Hindu temples will all have a garden similar to this one to provide the required lotus flowers for poojas, the daily prayer rituals. The main feature of the garden is a lotus pond with Lord Arumugaswamy, a six-faced manifestation of Lord Vishnu, seated in the center. Behind the pond are Lord Vishnu and Parvati, his wife and goddess of love, fertility and devotion. The peacocks decorating the pond were brought over from Sri Lanka in the 1930s and have remained where they are ever since. Lord Arumugaswamy, a six-faced manifestation of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu and Parvati, his wife and goddess of love, fertility and devotion. Before we left the temple I stopped to take a picture of some of the sculptures atop the temple. This is Lord Vishnu, his wife Parvati and Ganesha, the god of beginnings. This is the gate that goes to the grounds around the temple. It really amazes me how much detail and vibrancy goes into everything associated with Hindu temples. We really enjoyed our visit to this temple. It wasn’t a long visit, but it was enjoyable. If you’re looking for a Hindu temple to explore while you’re in Kuala Lumpur, this one is less than two blocks from a monorail stop and about a 15-20 minute walk from KL Sentral. This is the oldest Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur and the most traditional in its adherence to the rules of Saiva Agama Scriptures. It is also the temple where the trek to Batu Caves for the Thaipusam festival begins. HOURS 5:30am-9:30pm ADMISSION Free LOCATION The intersection of Jalan Tebing and Jalan Scott. HOW TO GET THERE The easiest way is to take the monorail to the Tun Sambanthan exit and walk down Jalan Tebing with the river on your right. Or you can take a taxi. If you wish to observe a ritual from outside the temple or come when there are less people, here is the temple schedule. Opening Abishegam Pooja Closing Morning 5:30am 6:00am 7:00am – Noon – 11:00am 12:00pm 1:30pm Evening 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:30pm 9:30pm Arthajama Pooja: 9:25pm

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