Penang - Dhammikarama Burmese Temple

Dhammikarama Burmese Buddhist Temple (ကျာ်စေတဳမန်), 1803

Welcome to Malaysia's first Burmese Buddhist temple in Georgetown, Penang. 

I loved the Burmese architecture and paintings. They are colorful and more on the cheerful side. This was my first time visiting a Burmese temple so I was super excited.

The Burmese in Penang

After 1800, there was a large Burmese settlement around Pulau Tikus. Queen Victoria, through the East India Company, granted lands for the Burmese and Siamese communities later on to build temples and for their burial grounds. This very Burmese temple was built in 1803 and known as Nandy Molah back then. Wat Chaiyamangalaram Thai Buddhist Temple was built right opposite to this Burmese temple. 

Some of the festivals celebrated in this temple are: Chinese New Year, Water Festival, Wesak Day, and Mid Autumn Festival.

Mythical lion-like creatures named Chinthe. 

There are similar statues like these in Yangon, Burma. These lion-like creatures are called leogryph and they are usually guards for pagodas and temples in Burma.

Main shrine with a huge Buddha statue whose face and hands were made of white marble

Buddhist Stupa

In Burma or Myanmar (today) stupas are called Zedis. In Thailand, they are called Chedis and in Laos, they are knows as That. They are built to hold relics or as burial mounds.

Column (right) that signifies the Buddhist emblem of peace and prosperity.

A pair of winged Chimeras called Panca Rupa @ Guardian Protectors of the World

Wishing pond

In Burmese, garudas are called ga-lon.

In Buddhism, a garuda is a mythical bird with a wide wing span which could cause hurricane winds. They are protectors of temples and symbols of wisdom.

The Golden Pagoda Bell Tower

The Original Love Birds: Kinnara and Kinnari

According to Burmese mythology, 4 out of 136 Buddha's past animal lives are Kinnara. 

The Kinnari is one of the 108 symbols of Buddha's footprint. 

Half bird, half human - they are the protectors of true love.

Main corridor

One may get blessings from the monks who live here

The Dhammikarama Burmese Buddhist Temple is magnificent. 

Detailed craftmanship throughout. Enjoyed the well-maintained gardens. 

ပညာရွှေအိုး လူမခိုး
Pyinna shwe o, lu ma ko
Education is like a golden pot nobody can steal