NEW YEAR VISIT TO SEEN HOCK YEEN TEMPLE

Yesterday was the 8th day of the Chinese New Year and I went to the Seen Hock Yeen Temple 善学院玉皇宫殿 (temple of virtues and education) in Chemor with my mum and aunt.  We try to visit as many temples as we could, as there is no such thing as too much auspice and good luck.  The more the better.  Heh! Heh!

It was our second visit to the temple.  We went there in April last year.  One would be awed by the majesty of the place.  It was simply breathtaking even for me who has been there before.  Since it was the Chinese New Year, there were lots of people. 

This temple is located former tin mining land about 16km north of Ipoh.   The temple has Taoism, Buddhism and Confucian characteristics. The address of the temple is 11/2, Railway Station Road, Kampung Cik Zainal Tambahan 1, 31200 Chemor, Perak.

When I reached the temple there were already people waiting to be taken across a bridge by a guide.  Before one of the temple officials gave a briefing to the participants.

One of the prerequisites of crossing the bridge was to buy a packet of sandal wood to offer to Kuan Yin or the Goddess of Mercy.

The worshippers praying to Kuan Yin.

One of the temple volunteers accepting the sandalwood for the Goddess of Mercy.

A devotee paying respect to the Monkey Zodiac in which she was born.

The Rat

The Ox

The Dragon

The images of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. 

A volunteer helping to place the red packets from the devotees in the arm of Ksitigarbha (Di Zang Wang)

Crossing the 70 metre long bridge to dispel bad luck and calamities.  One must look to the left and not even peek at the right side.  If one does not follow this advice, then they might find themselves hounded by bad luck for the whole year.

Praying at the Tou Mou or the Mother Goddess Temple

The Tou Mou temple

A beautifully carved dragon

Another dragon statue guarding the temple

The devotees get to beat the gong and hit the bell for good luck. 

The majestic main temple when viewed from the Tou Mou temple

You can make a wish here by throwing coins into the man-made waterfall

Facing the entrance of the temple is an image of Sun Tzu, author of the Art of War.

After completing the trip around the lake, the participants are to take a date from the container for their own zodiac signs and eat it on the spot for good luck.

Then one enters the temple and prays to the Jade Emperor and Confucius.  There one needs to take a mandarin orange from the basin with their own zodiac sign written on it.  One has to finish eating the mandarin by themselve.  This is for good luck.  All those who crossed the bridge were given a bottle of mineral water that had been blessed and also a red packet containing RM1.00.  We have to keep it in our wallets and not use it as it  would form the basis of our wealth luck.

My mum and aunt waited for me to make the trip as they were not up to it.

Work on the statues of Confucius and the 18 Lohans still in progress

Me with a Kei Lun or Chinese Unicorn.