Penang temples: Cheng Kon Sze

Of all Penang temples the Cheng Kon Sze is maybe one of the most spectacular ones. It is located further on the hill near the much more famous Kek Lok Si, the Temple of Supreme Bliss.

During the Nine Emperor Gods festival, Mr. Chandra and Mrs. Pearly invited me to join them for a visit to the Cheng Kon Sze. This Penang temple is one of the oldest on Penang. It's history goes back 130 years. The temple is by some known as Cheng Jee Can or Cheng Kuan Soo, which means 1200 Steps Temple. It is indeed a long walk up. And it is not an easy walk too.

Because it was in the period of the Nine Emperor Gods festival time, it was busy. Many devotees came to the Penang temple to pray and pay respect to the Nine Emperor Gods and his Generals. The Cheng Kon Sze is a Taoist temple comparable with the Tow Boo Kong Temple in Butterworth (see my Nine Emperor Gods page)

At the entrance of the main prayer hall of Cheng Kon Sze

The Cheng Kon Sze has a magnificent view over Penang (though during my visit it was a little cloudy), which even shows Butterworth on the main land and on bright days you may see many kilometers further. When you walk up the first thing you see is the entrance gate. Further on the stairs there's a small temple before you reach the main temple.

Like in the Tow Boo Kong Temple in Butterworth it was a mix of young and old people praying and offering for good luck and prosperity. As I have said it to many people, in these both temples it was probably more Chinese then I have experienced in China itself.

The small temple just below the main temple hall

During the Nine Emperor Gods festival many devotees choose to walk up. Because of time issues and the health of Mr. Chandra we choose to use a car but to be honest, next time I am in the opportunity to visit, I will hike up. The forest along the trek is dense and mostly unspoiled and extremely beautiful, wherever you look you see different trees, different colors and birds.

When you come closer to the entrance of the temple the views over Penang become more spectacular.

The main Prayer Hall

Inside it is an atmospheric ambiance. The first thing I saw was the old oil lamp, a amazingly beautiful piece of art which is almost as old as the temple itself: 130 years.

Inside the temple there are statues of the Nine Emperor Gods and his 9 generals. People offering joss sticks which added a special atmosphere. Other people took two kidney shaped stones with a box of joss sticks and prayed for answers to the gods while shaking the box and throw down the stones. An interpreter would help them translate the answer given by the gods. You may or may not be a believer, it is impossible not to recognize you are on sacred ground.

The statues of the Nine Emperor Gods and his Generals are very old, like the oil lamp. It was a busy place. After visiting the temple, we had a meal in the temple. Because of the Nine Emperor Gods festival, it was vegetarian and, as already expected, excellent.

I usually enjoy temple the best when it is quiet. This time I enjoyed the Penang temple so much because it was so busy! Like in the Tow Boo Kong Temple in Butterworth the serenity of the temple was once more accentuated by the devotees. But I have to admit, being alone or with just a few people, would certainly add another dimension to the experience. I will come back.

Getting There

Take a taxi or bus to Air Itam. Follow the path to one of themost popular Penang temple: Kek Lok Si. Behind the Kek Lok Si there's a small road going up o the One Thousand Two Hundred Steps temple. The road is at first good but soon changes in a pothole road and goes steep up. There are road signs everywhere so you won't get lost.

An atmospheric look inside the main prayer hall

A hike up takes approximately 45 to 60 minutes depending on your health, it's about 2 km in length. Along the road you have some magnificent views over Penang island. If you come to Penang the Cheng Kon Sze temple is a "must see".

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