Sri Kandaswamy Kovil, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur

Sri Kandaswamy Kovil, Kuala Lumpur (14 June, 2017)


Sri Kandaswamy Kovil (GPS: 3.13377, 101.69347) is a major Hindu temple in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. It is located along Jalan Tebing, beside the bank of the Klang River. Sri Kandaswamy Kovil is a temple of the Ceylonese Hindus who first erected it as a modest structure in the late 19th century.

The idea to build the temple came on 24 December in 1890, when a group of Ceylonese Hindu leaders met to discuss building a temple, so that they could observe their rites and rituals in observance of the Saiva Siddhantha tenets. This led to the purchase of a piece of land at the end of Scott Road, as it was a major settlement for the Ceylonese Tamils. That piece of land was previously owned by Sam Scott who had his Selangor Ice & Aerated Water Company¹ there. He sold off the land when his business was not doing well.

The earliest incarnation of the Sri Kandaswamy Kovil, comprising a small shrine with a temple tower or gopuram, was built in the early 20th century, and a vel, or trident, was installed in 1902, marking the inauguration of the temple. Over the years, annexes were added, such as a reading room in 1905, and the shrine to Ganesha in 1917.

As with most Hindu temples, Sri Kandaswamy Kovil has undergone its 12-year cycles of reconstruction. The most recent was in 2009, and with that came the consecration ceremony, called Maha Kumba Abishegam, on 7 February, 2011.

Today Sri Kandaswamy Kovil is one of the major Hindu temples in Kuala Lumpur. Its front façade is ornately embellished in the Sri Lankan Hindu temple style, which is similar to the South Indian temple style. The front entrance is topped with a rajagopuram, with multi tiers of colourful sculptures. Flanking the gopuram on either sides are the temple walls with niches bearing the image of various Hindu dieties.

On one side of Sri Kandaswamy Kovil is a multi-purpose hall called Kalamandapam. The houses the administrative office of the temple. The hall can also be rented for Hindu wedding ceremonies.

Sri Kandaswamy Kovil, Kuala Lumpur (14 June, 2017)


Sri Kandaswamy Kovil, Kuala Lumpur (14 June, 2017)

360° View of Sri Kandaswamy Kovil on Google Maps Street View

Sri Kandaswamy Kovil

Address

Sri Kandaswamy Kovil
Lorong Scott,
50470 Kuala Lumpur.

Sri Kandaswamy Kovil is on the map of Jalan Tebing, Kuala Lumpur

References

Back to Discover Kuala Lumpur; list of Hindu Temples of Kuala Lumpur and Hindu Temples in Malaysia