Kaliaman temple - at an estate near Lumut

The Kaliaman temple near Lumut is an example of a estate temple. Malaysia has a large Indian population and many Indians used to work and still work on these estates, hence the abundance of temples on the estates.

The very basic Kaliaman temple, a typical estate shrine

Therefore Indian temples can be found all over Malaysia. Indeed, around Pangkor, too, you will find them. One of the most hidden and still interesting enough Kaliaman temples you can find on the mainland, not far from Lumut.

The Sri Maha Kaliaman temple is something special around the Pangkor area. It's all about location. This little temple is build right in the middle of a estate.

The temple is dedicated to the Hindu bloodthirsty goddess Kali, also known as the dark goddess. In the Indian Vedas, the religious text thousands of years old, there's a proto-Kali mentioned. It's a goddess of death, destruction, bad luck and grief. She is still venerated in that sense.

Kali is a ferocious form of the Divine Mother. She's the goddess of time and of the transformation that is death. Lord Shiva (one of the three main gods in Hinduism together with Vishnu and Brahma) and Mother Gauri in their destructive form are known as Mahakala and Mahakali or Kali.

Kali is the energy that paralyses the attachments produced by the solar and lunar currents. This attachment causes fear of death. In the ignorant ones she creates fear, while for others Kali removes the ignorance that makes us fear death.

Inside the temple, you find a few statues including a fierce looking goddess Kali. She's here depicted with heads with arms hanging out of the heads on her belt. Indeed a fearsome goddess.

In Malaysia you will find Kaliaman temples in many places. This temple in the middle of a palm-oil estate is unique. It was build by the workers on the estate who in Malaysia are mostly Indian.

The temple is a very basic construction, in fact no more then a cover for the statues and altar where people offer. There's a few people hanging around and taking care of the temple.

If you hang around a bit longer, you will see the workers coming up and do their prayers and offerings.

Looking at the construction, one can wonder why to visit this temple. It is a simple construction in the middle of the estate but for that reason it is worth a short visit.

Getting There

Take the road to Ipoh from Lumut. After the traffic lights, just follow the road for about 3 km. You'll see the entrance board. Go inside the dirt-road and follow this road for about 800 meters. You'll arrive at a more open area and you'll see the temple in front of you. It's a bit hidden and not much visited little temple.

Worn out sign board on the Lumut - Taiping road,
just after the junction to Venice of Perak and the bridge

Two photos of an Indian festival Sunday August 14, 2011 in this temple

I have place more photos of this temple on myFacebook page

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