The Thean Kong Thnuah Temple, also known as Thni Kong Tnua (Chinese: 天公壇) or the Jade Emperor's Pavilion, is a Taoist temple within George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located at Ayer Itam, the temple was completed in 1869 and is the only temple in Malaysia built specifically for the worship of the Jade Emperor (Hokkien: Thinn-kong)[1] It becomes a focal point for the annual Jade Emperor's Birthday celebrations on the 9th day of the Chinese New Year.[2][3][4][5] The temple was also featured in Episode 8 of The Amazing Race 16.
| Thean Kong Thnuah Temple | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Taoism |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Lorong Pokok Celi, Ayer Itam |
| Municipality | George Town |
| State | Penang |
| Country | Malaysia |
  Location within George Town | |
| Geographic coordinates | 5°24′35.442″N 100°16′36.665″E / 5.40984500°N 100.27685139°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Taoist temple |
| Completed | 1869 |
| Thean Kong Thnuah Temple | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 天公壇 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 天公坛 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
History
editThe 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
editThe temple is located at the foot of Penang Hill and is surrounded by lush greenery. The path leading up to the temple features a flight of stairs with 110 granite steps and its archway is decorated with century-old stone carvings. The temple's architecture is a combination of both Buddhist and Taoist styles.[2] In the first shrine hall, there are three gold-plated Buddha statues while the Jade Emperor God sits in the main shrine hall.[2]
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The temple compound. -
The temple interior view.
References
edit- ^ Jean Elizabeth DeBernardi (2009). Penang: Rites of Belonging in a Malaysian Chinese Community. NUS Press. pp. 230–. ISBN 978-9971-69-416-6.
- ^ a b c d Ong Yee Ting (17 October 2006). "Temple of Jade Emperor God". The Star. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Opalyn Mok (22 February 2018). "Preparations underway for the grand celebration of the Jade Emperor's birthday". The Malay Mail. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
- ^ 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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