The mesmerising Enlightened Heart Buddhist Temple in Ipoh

The Enlightened Heart Buddhist Temple is a sizeable Tibetan-inspired temple in a valley in the Tambun district, Ipoh, Perak. It has a 13-story tall pagoda and a giant vertical Buddha statue. Although it should rightfully be a popular tourist spot, it is only visited a little because it is in an out-of-the-way location.

The pagoda, called the Enlightened Heart Medicine Buddha Bhaishaya Guru Pagoda, measuring 72 meter-high, is a sight to behold. It has an unusual design with a big opening from the 8th floor upwards, where a gold-coloured Shakyamuni Buddha statue overlooks the surroundings. There are fascinating buildings with figures of deities, Buddhas, and mythical creatures around the pagoda. In addition, the temple is rich with multiple carvings, paintings, and Buddhist scriptures. 

Records show that the Enlightened Heart Tibetan Buddhist Temple was established by a local citizen named Yong Si Fu, who took on the name of Ge Li Rinpoche after he embraced Tibetan Buddhism. The temple began on a modest scale in 1976 but grew to its current size over the last few decades. The temple complex now comprises several halls, gardens and pagodas, with countless statues of the Buddha and other Hindu-Buddha religious iconography. Today the Enlightened Heart Temple is the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in the country.

It has been reported that only a few people in Malaysia know this temple which is quite unfortunate. The only occasions when the temple is bustling are during auspicious days with religious significance, such as Wesak Day and Deepavali, when more devotees throng the temple.

The author who chanced upon this temple indeed found this temple a pleasure to the soul and mind. While the untarred road leading to the temple was narrow and dusty, with bushes and undergrowth lining the streets on both sides, the final destination with the temple's first sight was a mesmerising experience as the temple suddenly 'appeared' out of nowhere.

R.S. Naidu is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!

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