Penang Attractions: Religious 槟城旅游景点:宗教

STREET OF HARMONY
There are six different religious buildings exist along the Masjid Kapitan Keling Road and Cannon Street, which together cover a distance of 710 meters. This stretch of road is also known as Street Of Harmony, a testimony of the wisdom of the various religious groups who with their joint effort and open-mindedness, had made this road the one and only one, not only in Malaysia but outside Malaysia indeed, as a road of multi-faith.
 
georgetown church georgetown chinese templegeorgetown indian temple
georgetown keling mosquegeorgetown khoo templegeorgetown acheh mosque

Top from left to right:
St. George Church - built between 1817 and 1818, it is said to be the oldest Anglican church in Southeast Asia.

Goddess Of Mercy Temple (观音亭)- the first foundation was laid in 1728 by the Chinese settlers and completed in 1800.  It is the oldest Chinese temple in Penang that served as a centre for religious and community activities.  The temple, also known as Guangfu Gong (广福宫), is managed jointly by Guangdong (including the Hainanese) and Fujian community leaders.  It also provided mediation to settle disputes within the community in the past.  Up to today, it still remains as a spiritual landmark for the Chinese.

Mahamariamman Temple - built in 1883 and dedicated to Sri Muthu Mariamman, it is the oldest Hindu temple in Penang.  The photo shows the back portion of the temple; visitors can view the main entrance from Queen Street.

Bottom from left to right:
Kapitan Keling Mosque - the Kapitan Keling Mosque was first built by the East India Company troops when they arrived in Penang towards the end of the 18th century. As the population of Indian Muslim settlers grew, a larger and more permanent mosque was necessary.  In 1801 the East India Company granted 18 acres of land to build the mosque.  The land was slowly reduced to 8 acres by 1903 to make way for public roads and houses.  The present mosque was built in 1916 replacing the old one.  Its dome shaped minaret reflects Islamic architecture with Indian influence.

Khoo Kongsi (邱公司)- "Khoo" (邱)is one of the surnames among the Chinese.  The Khoos formed a grouping ("Kongsi") among themselves: looked after their clan welfare, took care of the new arrivals and settled any dispute with outsiders. A temple of worship was completed before the Chinese New Year in 1901.  Unfortunately it was destroyed by fire in the eve of the new year.  In 1906 a new temple, as seen here, was completed.  Besides the temple, the Kongsi also owns school initially for the Khoos but later accepted enrolment from other surnames. 

Masjid Melayu Lebuh Acheh - built in 1808 by a wealthy and politically influential Acehese merchant-prince.  The mosque stands in an enclosed compound with historic houses and a muslim cemetery for the 19th century.  The surrounding area was once a centre for the Hajj pilgrimage and spice trade  


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