Friday, March 22, 2013

10,000 Buddhas Pagoda [万佛塔] @ Chin Swee Caves Temple [Genting Highlands]

Travelling to Genting Highlands counts as one of the few journeys where you will find me holding tightly on to an empty plastic bag in case there is an urgent need to puke!

I would try my best to hold it in and the sight of a towering 10,000 Buddhas Pagoda on the mountainside always helps my brain to think positive; "bear it a bit more; the end is near!"

Given the soothing effect the Pagoda has, it would be really ungrateful on my part if i don't dedicate a full blog post of it in this blog; hence, let's begin with my ascent to its top.

For those who don't understand Buddhist scriptures or would like to know more about Buddhism without scanning lines and lines of words - take your pick from the long row of religious books, many of which include interesting stories and even illustrations to hold your attention.

The climb up the spiral staircase is easier provided there aren't many visitors attempting to do the same thing as you. Running up is strongly discouraged as it is easy to miss your footstep.

Fourth Level of Heaven [四重天] - to emulate the heavenly realm, the pagoda has nine levels named auspiciously in Chinese as the different level of heaven. Other that the naming, there is utterly nothing unique at each level.

Please don't expect a spick–and–span facility - i found numerous cob webs and dried bird droppings; tiny inconveniences for the peaceful serenity and calmness at the very top.

Level 9 - i took only three minutes! How the hell did it seem like that i took ages?! Have you readers noticed the "curtains of wire" hanging at the doors? They were installed to prevent birds from flying into the pagoda and dirtying its grounds! 

Oh! The ceiling has this huge lotus flower looking down. Guess most people are more interested in the breathtaking scenery at the pinnacle. 

Frankly, nothing beats being there to take in the view (plus, my photography skill is not great to begin with); i am going to push the blame to the low lying clouds as well!

Main square of Chin Swee Temple - do you know that superstitious gamblers would not visit this temple as they believe it is a Feng Shui landmark to help Genting Highland resort gain extremely good luck to earn from punters?

Instead of miniature statues, the 10,000 Buddhas mentioned refers to the donated Buddha tiles one can buy for a nominee fee to be placed in the pagoda. The slots are not filled yet so technically, the name 10,000 Buddhas Pagoda is incorrect.

Walked to the mid levels to take more photographs. 

Photographers interested in traditional Chinese architecture and culture would totally enjoy this place despite the fact that there is seriously nothing ancient about the man-made structures. 

Gondolas on Awana Skyway! For more details, click here.

These three lazy bums refused to accompany me up the pagoda and i felt to so guilty to have them waiting aimlessly for me! Well, to put things on a brighter side, i do believe they had a great time immersing themselves in crisp cool air peppered with strings of Buddhist recitations coming from a recorder. 

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Location
Chin Swee Caves Temple
Genting Highlands
Malaysia

Opening Hours
7.00am till 5.30pm 

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