Another stop on our tour of Kuala Lumpur was to a Buddhist temple quite near our hotel. The temple was at the top of the hill and also was a popular wedding site complete with a marriage license office in the lower level.
Upon entering the temple area it is surprisingly large and open. There are areas where you can sit and rest or meditate, have a picnic or just roam through some attached gardens.
Inside the temple proper there are several altars to various deities. The columns in the photo above are covered with small plaques which can be purchased and dedicated to ancestors. There is incense for burning outside the door. And unlike the other temples I have seen so far, at this temple guests remove their shoes before entering.
The carvings on the pillars was very detailed and executed perfectly. No matter where you looked, the temple was a work of art. The colors are vivid and perhaps the most arresting features of most Chinese buildings are the roof decorations.
The dragon and the phoenix are perhaps the most popular and meaningful of the motifs adorning Chinese buildings. This was but a little taste. Once we arrived in Beijing, the dragon and phoenix were constant companions.
The dragon...
...and the phoenix.
The courtyard is lined with lanterns and I would have like to seen it lit in the evening.
The center of the staircase is filled with a decorative panel. This is, of course, a dragon.
After our touring we went to the lower level of the temple where we had our lunch. I had won ton mee and I am still looking for it on menus because it was so tasty. In the gardens around the temple were sculptures of the Chinese zodiac and the horse (Kyle), the rabbit (Shayne) and the ox (both Ken & I) were resting peacefully in a line. It was nice to see the family all together.
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