That was nice.
It’s a short walk over to Chinatown, the historic heart of Kuala Lumpur. There are some older buildings there but it’s a worthwhile place to wander around rather than a must-see in a South East Asian itinerary.
There were two temples I had a look at, both crowded with incense-wielding devotees and full of atmosphere at this time of year. The Sin Sze Si Ya temple was built for the key figure in the early history of the city, Yah Ap Loy. But it was so packed I felt uncomfortable taking pictures and obstructing people’s devotions, and just took in the charm of the scene around me.
The Guandi temple, dedicated to an ancient Chinese general, was larger and offered more scope for snapping away without getting in people’s way…
Just across the road is a Hindu temple, emphasising just how important for all the communities here to co-exist peacefully.
Built in 1873 as a private shrine for the Pillai family, the family of the first leader of KL’s Indian community, the Sri Mahamariamman temple is a sanctuary of calm if you visit it – like now – when no devotions are being conducted.
One of the main deities worshipped here is Lord Murugan. Somewhere hereabouts they keep his silver chariot which they bring out for special occasions. You’ll hear more about them in the next post.
With that, it’s time to head back and take some random shots on the way.
Taken from a so-called hawker stall, selling hot food from a shack on the street…
… in my case a delicious lamb fried rice.
orwellianTwo 