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The Attractions
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Besides worshipping the Reverend Chin Swee,
devotees who visit the Temple can also pray to
Buddha and Kuan-yin whose large white statues
stand high and tall behind the five-storey Temple.
Visitors can also admire the intricacies of some
of the handiwork and embark on a journey of
cultural exploration, travelling from hell to
heaven in the after life in accordance to ancient
Chinese traditions and beliefs.
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Within the same site, just after the main entrance is a nine-storey Pagoda
decorated with many figurines of the Buddha. Inside the Pagoda there are
10,000 ‘blessing lamps’ installed for devotees of the Temple to dedicate to
those that they would like to be blessed by Buddha. Such is the popularity
of these blessing lamps, that there are only 2,000 left.
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In honour of Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong’s 90th birthday, his son Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay donated RM10 million
to initiate and complete the latest expansion and enhancement of the Chin Swee Caves Temple.
Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong donated a further RM10 million through Yayasan Lim for this expansion project.
Some of the new additions include the creation of a large square
spreading over 35,000 sq ft, aptly named Sky Terrace (Place for
Heavenly Offering) for visitors and devotees alike to take a leisurely
walk among the ‘clouds in heaven’, the creation of 110 rooms for
meditation, retreat and self discovery as well as other enhancement of
general facilities in and around the Temple.
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The square located at the base
of the statue of Kuan Yin,
stretches from the entry
gateway to the statue of
Buddha with a small Buddhist
temple at the center that is
aligned to the main Temple
below. This small Buddhist
Temple is open to all to make
offerings.
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Cyan Magenta Yellow Black
Within the square, just behind the small
Buddhist Temple is a statue of Tan Sri Lim
Goh Tong. This statue is erected by the
Chin Swee Caves Temple Society and
Resorts World Bhd in appreciation of Tan
Sri Lim’s leadership in the Chin Swee
Caves Temple and the development of
Genting Highlands Resort as the leading
tourist attraction in Malaysia. The statue
is also a show of gratitude for his
immense philanthropic contributions to
society and a mark of respect for his
great success in business.
There are inscriptions on a plaque
behind Tan Sri Lim’s statue describing
his role as the founder of the Chin Swee
Caves Temple Society and as the man
who was instrumental in leading a group
from the Anxi Clan to build this Temple
to commemorate the good deeds of
the Reverend Chin Swee. The inscriptions
also document Tan Sri Lim’s personal
contributions and devotion to the
continuing upgrading and improvement
of the Temple’s facilities in all aspects.
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Also around the square, are several gazebos for visitors
to rest their tired feet. The statues there bring to life
traditional ancient Chinese characters such as ‘the Eight
Deities’ playing a friendly game of chess.
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There are also many other
traditional Chinese figurines and
carvings, such as the stone wall
leading to the statue of Buddha
showcasing the famous 18 Lohans
(Divine Characters in Buddhism)
as well as principal personalities
in the famous Journey to the West
depicting some of their adventures
to
India
in
search
of
enlightenment.
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Along another pathway leading down to the main Temple are
stone carvings imported from China, relaying 24 stories of filial
piety. These famous tales of ancient China are meant to inspire
people to treat their parents well. For example, there is a story
about a child in a poor family who would warm a bed by lying
on it before letting her parent sleep on it during winter. Another
tale recounts a child wearing colourful clothes just to please her
parents who loved bright colours.
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Of particular interest to visitors, especially children, may be the
depiction of ten Chambers of Hell. These chambers line a path that
gently winds up a hill at the fringe of the square. The walk up the path
is named the Journey to Enlightenment because these chambers aim
to discourage bad conduct by depicting the painful experiences an
evil person would encounter in Hell.
others. Doctors who had cheated their patients or carried out
malpractices, adulterous couples and those who had committed
suicide before completing their filial obligations would likewise
receive their punishment here.
The Third Chamber of Hell would mete out
punishment to ungrateful or disloyal
According to Chinese beliefs, the First Chamber of
people and thieves. The Fourth Chamber
Hell would screen the character of a dead person and
punishes those guilty of tax evasion,
his past deeds to decide whether or not and where he
bullying and negligence. In the Fifth
should receive punishment. A good person would be
Chamber would be placed those found
sent for rebirth in the Heavenly Realm or the Western
guilty of rape, murder and fighting while
Pureland of Great Bliss. An evil person would be
those who had engaged in vandalism or
sent to one of the remaining nine chambers of Hell,
has shown disrespect for religion would
each of which is authorised and empowered to
end up in the Sixth Chamber. The Seventh
impose various degrees of punishment. Hence, all
Chamber of Hell awaits those who had
the newly arrived souls of the dead would proceed to
been involved in trafficking, abortion,
the First Chamber of Hell where Chin-Kwong-Wang, the King of the gambling and other dishonest activities. The Eighth Chamber
First Chamber would determine their fate.
punishes people who had not shown filial piety towards their parents
and respect for their elders. The Ninth Chamber deals with
The Second Chamber of Hell said to be located below the ocean people who burn and damage properties. The Tenth Chamber
would deal specially with people who had abducted men or women, decides on the place, form and sex in matters of reincarnation and
occupied properties not belonging to them, or caused bodily harm to rebirth.
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While the tour of the Hell chambers can be an educational
trip for everyone, it can also be an eye-opener for people
who have little knowledge of the basic principles of cause
and effect in Buddhism, a cornerstone of traditional Chinese
beliefs.
The huge colour-dotted stone mushrooms can be a source of
cheer for children.
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After seeing the horrifying fates that await evil
persons, one will brighten up when one
meanders up the hill path. One will be greeted
by the smiling faces of the ‘Seven Fairies’
descending from heaven with grace. Then one
meets the three Gods of Fook-Lok-Sou (Luck,
Wisdom and Longevity) and the gracious waving
of Wang-mo-liang-liang (Mother Goddess) as
she descends to earth in a heavenly chariot.
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Finally, there is the Nine-Colour Dragon Wall of Luck, which stands at the entrance to greet visitors to Chin Swee
Caves Temple. Each of the nine dragons, which have different dispositions and shades of colour on the
gold-colour plaque represents a special type of luck. According to the folklore of ancient China, if a scholar met
a ‘yellow dragon’ on his journey to take the imperial examination he would get top marks and become a
high-ranking Mandarin official who would be serving the yellow-robed Emperor in the Imperial Palace.
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