Malaysia
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Sri Kandaswamy Kovil
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…
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The Lost Legends of Lagenda Langkawi
Lagenda Langkawi isn’t your typical historic site. It’s actually not really all that old. Built in 1996, the park isn’t even 20 years old yet, but the inconsistent upkeep on the site has made it appear a bit older than it actually is. I imagine that when the park was first created it was magnificent and drew crowds of people. The 17 massive stone sculptures depicting scenes from legend and folklore were probably a sight to behold in their shiny new glory. But 20 years of neglect and apathy have taken their toll on the once-grand monuments. It’s not decrepit, but you’d think that after spending RM37 million ($9.5M) on the park that…
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Al-Hana Mosque
When we went to Langkawi for New Year’s, the only thing we planned out was a day of snorkeling and then watching the fireworks on the beach. Other than that we had no set plans. This was probably our most relaxed trip and we ended up having a good time just wandering around Kuah, the town we stayed in, and checking out other parts of the island. The first thing we did after our day of snorkeling and swimming was to visit Al-Hana Mosque. We’d only been living in Malaysia for about two months and hadn’t visited any yet, so when we saw a mosque just down the street from the…
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Maha Vihara Buddhist Temple
When we lived in Kuala Lumpur, I really enjoyed walking around the neighborhood and taking in the sites. We lived by Little India, which was filled with all sorts of Hindu shops and temples, and also by a little Buddhist section of town, so there were always really interesting things to see. One day I decided to just wander and see where my feet took me and I ended up at this cute little Buddhist temple from 1895 that I’d never known was there before. The main gate is known as the Sanchi Main Gate, after the village of Sanchi in India, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.…
