Kek Lok Si Temple

Kek Lok Si spreads up a hillside above Air Itam in tiers of shrine halls, gardens, turtle ponds and prayer pavilions, and it is the largest Buddhist temple complex in the country, begun at the end of the nineteenth century by a Chinese abbot and grown steadily ever since. Its centrepiece is the Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas, seven storeys that deliberately blend three traditions in one structure, a Chinese octagonal base, a Thai middle section and a Burmese crown, filled with thousands of Buddha images. Higher up, reached by an inclined lift, a bronze statue of Kuan Yin, the goddess of mercy, stands some thirty metres tall under a vast pillared canopy, looking out over the island. The best time to come is the fortnight around Chinese New Year, when the entire complex is strung with thousands of lanterns and lit every evening.

What you actually see

• The Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas - the seven-storey tower blending three architectural traditions.
• The Kuan Yin statue - the towering bronze goddess under her pillared canopy.
• The lantern illumination - the complex lit with thousands of lanterns around Chinese New Year.
• The turtle pond and gardens - the terraces climbing the hillside between the halls.

When to go

Year-round, but the fortnight around Chinese New Year, roughly late January to February, is when the whole hillside is lit with lanterns after dark and is genuinely spectacular. Mornings are cooler for the climb. It is an active temple, so festival days bring worshippers as well as visitors.

Honest expectations

The route up passes through a long gauntlet of souvenir stalls that some find wearing, and the complex is a mixture of the beautiful and the frankly kitsch, with concrete statuary alongside fine older halls. It is a steep site with many steps, though a paid inclined lift covers the upper section. As a working temple, modest dress and quiet behaviour are expected in the prayer halls.

Nearby

Penang Hill's funicular is close by; George Town's heritage streets are twenty minutes away.