Jade Emperor God Temple

Jade Emperor God Temple or Jade Emperor Pavilion (simplified Chinese: 玉皇庙; traditional Chinese: 玉皇廟) (also called as the Thni Kong Tnua, simplified Chinese: 天公坛; traditional Chinese: 天公壇) is a Chinese temple located at the foot of Penang Hill at the Air Itam suburb in George Town, Penang. Completed in 1869, it is the only temple in Malaysia to be built specifically for the worship of the Jade Emperor (Hokkien: Thiⁿ-kong)[1] and becomes a focal point for the annual Jade Emperor's Birthday celebrations on the 9th day of Chinese New Year.[2][3][4][5]

Jade Emperor God Temple
天公坛
Front view of Jade Emperor God Temple
Religion
AffiliationBuddhism, Taoism
DistrictNortheast Penang Island District
Location
LocationAir Itam, George Town
StatePenang
CountryMalaysia
Shown within George Town
Geographic coordinates5°24′35.442″N 100°16′36.665″E
Architecture
TypeChinese temple
Completed1869

The temple was featured in Episode 8 of The Amazing Race 16.

History

The temple was built in the 1860s by members of the ethnic Chinese Hokkien community in Malaysia and underwent a restoration beginning in 2002.[2]

Features

The temple location at the foot of Penang Hill are surrounded by lush greenery with 110 flights of granite stairs as the path towards the temple. Its archway is decorated with century-old stone carvings, with the temple architecture is a combination between Buddhist and Taoist architectures.[2] In its first shrine hall, there are three gold-plated Buddha statues while the Jade Emperor God sits in the main shrine hall.[2]

References

  1. Jean Elizabeth DeBernardi (2009). Penang: Rites of Belonging in a Malaysian Chinese Community. NUS Press. pp. 230–. ISBN 978-9971-69-416-6.
  2. Ong Yee Ting (17 October 2006). "Temple of Jade Emperor God". The Star. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  3. Crystal Chiam Shiying; Chong Kah Yuan (6 February 2017). "Hokkiens go all out to celebrate Jade Emperor God's birthday at jetty and temple". The Star. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  4. Opalyn Mok (22 February 2018). "Preparations underway for the grand celebration of the Jade Emperor's birthday". The Malay Mail. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  5. David ST Loh (16 February 2019). "Devotees turn eyes heavenward on 9th day of Lunar New Year". The Malaysian Insight. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
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