Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
249
months that fall betw een Feb/Mar, June/July, and S ept/Oct, respectively), Kuan Yin is
celebrated with Chinese operas and puppet sho ws.
Leboh Pitt. Free admission.
Kapitan Kling Mosque
Captain Light donated a large par cel of land on this spot
for the settlement's sizable Indian Muslim community to build a mosque and graveyard.
The leader of the community, known as Kapitan Kling (or Keling, which, ironically, was
once a racial slur against Indians in the region), built a brick mosque here. Later, in 1801,
he imported builders and materials fr om India for a ne w, brilliant mosque. E xpansions
in the 1900s topped the mosque with stunning domes and turets, adding extensions and
new roofs.
Jalan Masjid Kapitan Kling (Leboh Pitt). Free admission.
Khoo Kongsi
The Chinese who migrated to S outheast Asia cr eated clan associa-
tions in their ne w homes. B ased on common heritage, these social gr oups formed the
core of Chinese life in the new homelands. The Khoo clan, who immigrated from Hok-
kien province in China, acquired this spot in 1851 and set to work building row houses,
administrative buildings, and a clan temple ar ound a large square. The temple here now
was actually built in 1906 after a fir e destroyed its predecessor. It was believed the origi-
nal was too ornate, pr ovoking the wrath of the gods. O ne look at the curr ent temple, a
Chinese baroque masterpiece, and you'll wonder how that could possibly be. Come here
in August for Chinese operas.
18 Cannon Sq.
&
04/261-4609.
Free admission. Daily 9am-5pm.
Penang Museum and Art Gallery
The historical society has put together this
marvelous collection of ethnological and historical findings fr om Penang, tracing the
port's history and div erse cultures through time. I t's filled with paintings, photos, cos-
tumes, and antiques, among much mor e, all presented with fascinating facts and trivia.
Upstairs is an ar t gallery. Originally the P enang Free School, the building was built in
two phases, the first half in 1896 and the second in 1906. O nly half of the building
remains; the other was bombed to the ground in World War II. Its recent renovation has
added life, at least to the exterior. It's a favorite stop on a sightseeing itinerary because it's
air-conditioned.
Lebuh Farquhar.
&
04/261-3144.
Admission RM1 (30ยข/20p). Sat-Thurs 9am-5pm.
Sri Mariamman Temple
This H indu temple was built in 1833 b y a Chettiar , a
group of southern Indian Muslims, and received a major face-lift in 1978 with the help
of Madras sculptors. The Hindu Navarithri festival is held here, whereby devotees parade
Sri Mariamman, a Hindu goddess worshiped for her powers to cure disease, through the
streets in a night procession. It is also the starting point of the Thaipusam Festival, which
leads to a temple on Jalan Waterfall.
Jalan Masjid Kapitan Kling. Free admission.
St. George's Church
Built by Rev. R. S. Hutchins (who was also responsible for the
Free School next door, home of the Penang Museum) and Capt. Robert N. Smith, whose
paintings hang in the museum, this church was completed in 1818. Although the outside
is almost as it was then, the contents w ere completely looted during World War II. All
that remains are the font and the bishop's chair.
Lebuh Farquhar. Free admission.
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