A Malaysian Photo And Travel Blog

Title: Siamese Warrior
Location: Wat Chaiyamangalaram Thai Temple, Penang, Malaysia
Date: 22 November 2008, 11.02am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/9.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

A warrior armed with a weapon to 'protect' the temple.

Title: The Guardian
Location: Wat Chaiyamangalaram Thai Temple, Penang, Malaysia
Date: 22 November 2008, 11.02am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/9.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

A fierce looking guardian with artistic carving and vibrant colours. The temple is visible at the back of the statue.

Title: Reaching for Heaven
Location: Wat Chaiyamangalaram Thai Temple, Penang, Malaysia
Date: 22 November 2008, 10.39am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/9.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

A towering figure on the compound of the temple.

Title: Bliss
Location: Wat Chaiyamangalaram Thai Temple, Penang, Malaysia
Date: 22 November 2008, 10.36am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/9.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

A large-sized statue overlooking the temple. A harmonious blend between the God idol and the sky.

Title: Bling, bling
Location: Wat Chaiyamangalaram Thai Temple, Penang, Malaysia
Date: 22 November 2008, 10.45am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/6.3, ISO Equiv.: 100

A statue embedded with pieces of gold mirrors. These mirrors create a shining gold reflection from afar.

Title: Flower Motifs
Location: Wat Chaiyamangalaram Thai Temple, Penang, Malaysia
Date: 22 November 2008, 10.31am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/9.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

A statue with multiple flower motif.

Title: Reclining Buddha
Location: Wat Chaiyamangalaram Thai Temple, Penang, Malaysia
Date: 22 November 2008, 11.01am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 200

This statue was only built in 1958, in conjunction with the 2500th anniversary of the birth of Buddha, at a cost of RM100,000.


When I walked into the inner temple, I can see lots of God statues - over 30 large-sized porcelain idols. There is a donation box beneath every single idols. The management practised an open door policy - visitors are most welcome to visit the temple without being pressured or asked to donate to the temple. Any donation will be a voluntarily gesture. Some devotees were seen kneeling on a piece of red thin cushion (facing the idol) and pray for their loved ones.

At the back of the reclining Buddha, I can see thousands of urns placed in individual rectangle slots. Every single urns in the temple have a unique shape and design. Visitors can read more about the person that were once alive - every urn display a small-sized picture and also some reference to the dead person. It was an interesting sight to see rows, rows and rows of urns stacked on the wall.

Overall, I truly enjoyed my trip to Wat Chaiyamangalaram Thai Temple at Burmah Street in Penang, Malaysia. The Buddhist temple is the best by far...even better than those in Kuala Lumpur. The place is properly maintain with monks and devotees working hand in hand to keep the place clean and presentable to visitors. I can see lots of effort undertaken to make this temple an attractive place to visitors. CCTVs are positioned at strategic location of the temple for security purpose.