One of the many things we love about Malaysia is that it somehow manages to be genuinely welcoming to all, in the most nonchalant sort of way. What I mean by that is there's no need for Malaysians to even point out that they accept and even embrace the many cultures, religions and ethnic groups that make up their country. They just do.
Perhaps the most visible evidence of this is the abundance of different houses of worship. So far we have seen Buddhist, Taoist and Hindu temples, Islamic mosques, and several different churches offering services in various languages.
For example, there are a number of Chinese Methodist churches, as well as English and/or Malay and/or Tamil speaking Catholic, Methodist and Anglican churches. Often these are located within very close proximity of each other, and/or a mosque, and/or a temple.
And nobody bats an eye.
There's not even an inkling of a sense that anyone is thinking, "my temple is better than yours," or "my church is bigger," or "my religion is the right one." It seems to me that a person's faith is respected here, and there is room for all. In other words, no-one's faith appears to be diminished by the fact that it co-exists with others.
In fact, we have been in establishments that provide privacy screens and prayer mats for employees who are practicing Muslims, so that they can participate in their daily prayer times. Those who are of a different faith simply continue working, no harm done.
Similarly, Friday is a holy day for Muslims, so everyone just accepts and plans around the fact that traffic will be very bad after 11:30 on Fridays, as families all depart from services at the mosques and head out to lunch.
Perhaps it all works very well from a practical standpoint too, since I imagine Christian employees might work on the Fridays, while Muslim staff might cover the Sundays. If I were an employer, I'd think that was a total win.
Anyway, this post is supposed to be about the many houses of worship we've seen in Malaysia. And there are many!
In KL, while touring Chinatown one morning, we came around a corner and discovered the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple.
It's hard to get a photo of anything on the street in Malaysia, due to ever-present traffic and those pesky streetlights, but hopefully you get the idea. I could look at the intricate carvings and beautiful colours all day.
On that same walk, we came across this Taoist Temple, set between two high rise buildings. Photography was not permitted inside, but according to the guide leading the group on the right, we were allowed to take photos of the outside of the building.
Our walks around Penang have taken us past quite a few different temples, like the Hock Teik Cheng Sin Temple, a clan temple of the Hokkien people, dedicated to the Taoist God of Prosperity.
Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi is apparently the largest Hokkien clan house in Malaysia. Visitors are welcome to tour the temple, as well as other parts of the building that have now been turned into a museum and educational display.
Some places of worship are quite grand, others more humble. Some are built on hilltops or on stilts in the water, while others are just there, around the next street corner.
This is a mosque in downtown Georgetown, just down the street from the fire hall.
While this temple has a very practical location between two food courts.
We heard this mosque, rather than saw it, as a call to prayer began as we were walking nearby. Remember the loudspeakers I mentioned in that other post about noises in Malaysia? There they are, all the way around the mineret.
Shrines, too, are everywhere. This one was at the base of a large, gnarled tree as we walked out of one of the Clan Jetties.
This is the entrance to another temple (I've lost track of which is which by now!)
And just a short distance away, one of the many Chinese Methodist Churches in Penang.
At the top of Penang Hill, the highest point on the island of Penang, there is a mosque with gorgeous golden domes....
...a Hindu Temple...
...and a small Buddhist Shrine, which we completely forgot to take a photo of.
The temple in particular was stunning, and I took so many photos of the different depictions. I'll include just one here, so as not to bore you...
That same night, on our way back from dinner, we passed by this temple which was lit up beautifully.
In fact so many places of worship here are spectacularly lit at night. It's almost as if they are not afraid to be proud of themselves and the beautiful spaces they have created for prayer and worship.
Malaysia really does embody the slogan, "Harmony in Diversity."
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