The
Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Glass Temple is a major Hindu temple in Johor Bahru,
Malaysia. It is also one of the state's tourist attraction. The temple was
listed in the Malaysian Book of Records as the first and only glass temple in
the nation on 12 May 2010. This temple is a complete glass structure and is
often regarded as one of the most amazing architectural pieces not just in
Malaysia but in the entire world. It is a Hindu temple which is one of the
oldest in Johor Bahru.
The
temple, located in 22 Lorong 1, Jalan Tebrau, Johor Baru, is accessible through
Jalan Tun Abdul Razak and the lane that borders Gim Shew Building. Car and
coach parking is available and there's also a shoe storage service. It is open
for devotees from 7am to 10pm daily, while visiting hours for tourists are
between 1pm and 5pm.
History
The
temple is one of Johor Bahru's oldest Hindu temples, is situated next to the
railway tracks between Jalan Tun Abdul Razak and Jalan Mohd Taib (or close to
the Tebrau Highway). It started in 1922 as a simple shelter on land presented
by the Sultan of Johor.
In
1991, Sri Sinnathamby Sivasamy, current temple chairman and chief priest, also
known as Guru Bhagawan Sittar inherited the administration of the temple from
his father. He is the inspiration and driving force behind the temple. The Guru
made a commitment to rebuild the temple upon inheriting it from the humble hut
it once was. In spite of difficulties and challenges, the temple was rebuilt
and officially reopened in 1996.
The
Guru had the inspiration to rebuild the temple in glass during one of his trips
to Bangkok. He was in a tuk-tuk (auto-rickshaw) in Bangkok when he saw a light
shining like a diamond, some 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) away. The driver told him
that it was a wat (temple). When he went there, he found that it was the glass
artwork at the temple entrance that had caught his eyes.
He
was amazed that a small glass artwork could capture his attention from a vast
distance. This inspired him to use this technique in the Arulmigu Sri
Rajakaliamman Temple. He believed a temple fully embellished with impressive
glass artwork will attract local devotees and visitors from the world over.
Transformation
of the temple with glass fittings started in 2008 and was completed in October
2009.[1] Since then, it has become one of the state's major tourist
attractions.
Religious
Value
The temple is dedicated to the
Goddess Kali, the destroyer (of evil) and divine consort of Shiva; many statues
of her adorn the interior along with others from the Hindu pantheon. Of
interest is the multi-faith “one God, different paths” belief the temple has
embraced, with 10 1.2 meter-tall marble statues of spiritual leaders from other
creeds including Jesus, Buddha, Shirdi Sai Baba, Sikh Guru Nanak and Mother
Teresa. There are also three small lotus-sitting Buddhas in hear-no-evil,
see-no-evil, speak-no-evil stance.
A
small sanctuary at the rear of the temple holds a Shiva lingam and the walls
are imbedded with thousands of rudraksha beads, usually strung as Hindu prayer
beads (rudraksha comes from the Sanskrit meaning Shiva’s eyes). During the
construction each bead was individually placed as believers chanted a Shiva
mantra, to create a “spiritual vibration”. Devotees perform rituals here by
pouring rose water over.
Features of the temple
1. Architecture
The
exterior of the temple, image taken by the Georgia National Guard. Light from
crystal chandeliers is reflected on doors, pillars, walls and ceilings in a
bright blaze that's quite blinding initially. At least 90 per cent of the
temple is embellished by a mosaic of 300,000 pieces of red, blue, yellow,
green, purple and white glass.
The
centerpiece in the Athma Lingam sanctuary is a lotus for Lord Shiva, on which
devotees can pour rose water and perform their prayers. Guru says this special
sanctuary is the first in Malaysia to be designed with walls that are fully
covered with 300,000 mukni Rudraksha beads from Nepal.
At
a glance, the walls appear to have an unusual embossed texture. Each Rudraksha
bead is embedded in the walls with a chanted prayer.
2. Sculptures
There
are 10 gold-finished sculptures close to the ceiling. Of the two figures on the
left, one appears to be lying down and the other crawling, while the one on the
far right seems to be reclining too. These sculptures portray the cycle of
life, from birth, youth, adulthood, to old age and death.
There
are 10 white marble statues standing 120 centimeters (47 in) tall each.
According to the name plaques, these are Gautama Buddha, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Sai
Baba and Mother Teresa. The Guru believes that these are messengers of God, and
visitors of other faiths will be happy to see them here.
3. Murals
On the left wing, there are two large panels on the ceiling painted by specially commissioned artists to convey a universal message of social and racial harmony. In one picture, a cow is next to an Indian girl, a dog is near a Chinese girl while a Malay girl holds a cat in her arms. The other picture has a Hindu motorcyclist being helped up by a Muslim after he fell off his bike, while a Buddhist is picking up his helmet and a Christian is lifting up the motorcycle.
4. First glass in The World
Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman is the first glass Hindu temple in the world and the only one in Malaysia. Temple called “Glass” because it’s decorated with glass inside and outside. The temple looks really beautiful, especially on a sunny day with blue skies, when glass shines. This seemingly unique piece of architecture is embellished with as many as 300000 pieces of white, yellow, red, green, purple, and blue glass that includes the pillars, walls, and floors.
5. Chandelier light
A number of chandeliers made of crystal hang from the ceiling of the temple. The surreal effect created by the refection of the crystal chandeliers on the glass floors is an amazing thing. When you view the chandelier lights, you will be mesmerize the beauty. It might not able to view for the first time as it display a blinding to eye but later on you will get used to it and able to view fully.
6. Full air-conditioned temple
The fully air-conditioned temple has a café that serves vegetarian meals for special events, and a function hall in an adjoining building. Normally, temples do not have air-condition in it but this glass temple is fully air-conditioned. It really makes us feel really comfortable.
It is the place which is considered as the sanctuary of earthly aesthetic beauty of architecture with a serenity of visual enjoyment. Many tourists visit here to view the rare piece of beauty. The reflection of lights of thousands pieces of glasses provides such environment where devotees and visitors fall into fantasy. Last but not the least it is a unique and only embroidering of glasses in the world.
6. References:
Presented by Group-3: Semester-2 2018-2019
Courtesy to: Dr. Mohamed Ayyub Bin Hassan
School of Human Resource Development &
Phycology
University Technology Malaysia (UTM)
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