Sin Sze Si Ya Temple 仙四师爷庙, Kuala Lumpur

Pic 1.0 The Main Hall

It is a must to visit the Sin Sze Si Ya Temple (a.k.a. Sze Ya Temple) in Kuala Lumpur’s China Town. Located along the same street as Guan Di Temple on Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, Sze Ya Temple is one of a kind and cannot be found elsewhere in Malaysia. The temple is dedicated to local deities Sin Sze Ye and Si Sze Ye, and is also the oldest Taoist temple in Kuala Lumpur, founded in the year 1864.

Pic 2.0 Kapitan Yap Ah Loy

The temple was built by the legendary Kapitan Yap Ah Loy in honour of Sheng Meng Li whom Yap Ah Loy had previously served. Shen Meng Li was then worshipped as Sin Sze Ye. The other deity, Si Sze Ye was Yap Ah Loy's loyal lieutenant Chung Lai. The two deities originally were being worship as the guardian deity for the local Chinese miners, but later on, the deities were also worship for all kinds of matter as the deities have been granting wishes to those who come for help.

Pic 2.1 Sin Sze Ye

Many worshippers throng to this temple to pray to Tai Sui Ye - Master of Deities for Prosperity, Health & Good Fortune. It is believed that praying to Tai Sui Ye will eliminate all the suffering for the year and brings luck. At the front of the entrance, there is a notice for Tai Sui Praying, and if your Chinese zodiac unluckily is listed, it means that you have to pray to Tai Sui Ye or bad luck will be with you for the rest of the year.

Pic 2.2 Deity of Medicine and Health

Other deities that can be found in temple include Bai Hu Ye - White Tiger, Cai Shen Ye - Deity for Good Luck and Fortune, Hua Guang Da Di - Deity of Artistes & Craftsmen, Tan Gong Xian Si - Deity of Medicine & Health, Guan Di Wen Chang - Deity of Education, Scholar & Prosperity, Cai Bo Xing Jun - Deity of Business, Fu De Zheng Shen - Deity of Prosperity, Hua Fen Fu Ren - Deity of Beauty, Guan Yin Pu Sa - Goddess of Mercy, Jin Hua Fu Ren - Deity of Fertility and Gautama Buddha - Founder of Buddhism.

Pic 2.3 Changing of Luck Altar

A specialty of the temple is that, all kinds of traditional rituals or custom made rituals are offered. Some examples of the rituals are Changing of luck, Stopping defamation by others and Borrowing of Wealth. The temple caretakers will explain the type of rituals work best for worshipper. Once consulted, the worshipper will proceed to another counter to buy praying materials such as joss sticks and candles and a caretaker will perform professional praying services to change your fate and destiny. There is a table right in front of Sin Sze Ye and Si Sze Ye statues, and crawling under it will lessen the burden worshipper currently endured.

Pic 2.5 Lighting of Joss Sticks

This is indeed a temple that can help alleviate all kind of problems and change one destiny.

Hignly Recommended.

Ctemple188 gives this Sin Sze Si Ya Temple 9/10 rating.

Guan Di Temple 关帝庙, Kuala Lumpur

Pic 1.0 : The Courtyard

What good is a sword? Or even a bigger and heavier weapon like the Chinese halberd (Guan Dao)? Well, it brings luck, and the more one touches it, more luck will be blessed upon that person.

In Chinatown, there is one Guan Di Temple (God of War Temple) that housed a 59kg cooper Guan Dao. The Guan Dao is believed to have “special powers” and will be blessed and protected by well wishers touching or lifting because of the inner force contained in it.

Pic 2.0 : The God of War

This temple is built to worship the God of War, China’s greatest warrior and is also known as General Kwan, Guan Di or Guan Yu. People are around the world worship God of War to seek protection and general well-being. It is known that God of War grants wishes to those who seek with pure mind.

Pic 3.0 : The Temple Entrance Roof

At the entrance of the temple, 2 huge and fierce looking general statues stand guard. Enter the door, and you will be greeted by the hanging incenses. God of War’s altar is right at the centre back. He is flanked by his godson seal carrying Guan Ping and his standard bearer Zhou Cang holding a guan dao. Compare the facial of God of War against the 2 door generals, God of War looks more gentle. As of usual Taoist temple, Guan Yin and other deities are also being worshipped.

The unique part of this temple is that the statues of God of War, Guan Ping and Zhou Cang are made of wood, which is very special, and hardly found in any other temples. More to that, there is another praying altar inside building that many are not aware of, placed at left hand side corridor of the temple.

Pic 4.0 : The Road Name

A full set of praying materials including burning papers cost RM6. The temple is situated along Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, one of Kuala Lumpur’s busiest street. An Indian Temple can be found just opposite the temple. Many private open car parks are available around Chinatown. A note of advice, prepare some small change as they will be quite a number of beggars waiting for generosity at the temple’s entrance. The Guan Di Temple is open from 7am to 5pm daily.

Ctemple188 gives this Guan Di Temple 6/10 rating.

Thean Hou Temple 天后宫, Kuala Lumpur

Pic 1.0 : The Main Shrine
Thean Hou Temple one of the major tourist attraction in Malaysia, located at the top of Robson Heights, Kuala Lumpur and is the largest Chinese Temple in Malaysia. Officially opened in 1989, this temple showcased the proud achievement of the Hainanese community in Malaysia. The Hainanese community built this temple as a dedication to Goddess Tian Hou. Pic 1.1 : The Courtyard This striking six-tiered Chinese temple which occupied 1.67 acres of land, has one of the most successful combination of modern architectural and authentic traditional design. As a result, Thean Hou Temple is not only a popular tourist destination, but also for film producers. Many activities are held in this temple especially during Chinese New Year starting from the night before, for up to 15 days. Pic 2.0 : The Main Hall The prayer hall is located at the 4th level, and deity sculptures do complement with the grandeur building. The prayer hall has 3 large sculptures, the altar on the right is dedicated to Guan Yin (Goddess of Mercy), Thean Hou (The Heavenly Mother) in the centre and Shui Wei Sheng Niang (Goddess of the Waterfront) at the left.  Pic 2.1 : The Fortune Telling Machine Visitors will be surprised that instead of the traditional method getting divination from the deities, it is replaced by 4 unique fortune telling machines, and believe it or not, it has accurately answered the questions posted to the deities. For those who do not know the Chinese language, the explanation comes in both Chinese and also English. Pic 3.0 : The Souvenirs and Food Stalls At the basement level, souvenirs and food stalls are found to cater the visitors to the temples. The basement also holds a marriage registration office for couples wishing to get married.. The couples are able to tie the knot at one of Malaysia’s tourist attraction and at the same time, the temple provides a lovely scenery for video filming and picture taking. The temple, also feature a grand ballroom located the 1st level, and is of international standard that can indeed give the 5 stars Hotel a run for money.  Pic 4.0 : The Peaceful Surrounding Thean Hou Temple is indeed a place for a family relaxation. The area is peaceful and surrounded by greenery. Ample parking is available but at a fee of RM3. However, during festive seasons, be prepared to park your car down the hill on the main road. Ctemple188 gives this Thean Hou Temple 8/10 rating.