Once in a while, N and I would visit a temple or a church to enlighten ourselves with the worship rituals of others. We’d done this two years ago in Georgetown, and I remember vividly my trip to the amazing Cao Dai temple in rural South Vietnam. Discovering spirituality while wayfaring is a hindmost plus point in our book.
So while in Genting, we stopped by the Chin Swee Cave Temple which is built into the side of a very steep hill. Imagine such architecture! The temple complex is dedicated to the great Chin Swee— a Taoist reverend who lived during China’s Soong dynasty. Over the last few years, the temple saw numerous restorations but now remains one of Genting’s finest gems apart from the well-known casinos.
One of the temple’s specialties is, without a doubt, its place in the hills. We ventured into its courtyard to have a spectacular view of the entire landscape of Genting. To see the deep, sloping valley before us as the wind flurries was just heart-stirring. There’s so much heavenly beauty on earth from that perspective. I figure the temple would be the most enjoyable during sunset or sunrise. Just think about having the chance to admire the views of such dramatic transition from the temple’s courtyard!
Apart from drinking in the panoramic view, we also ventured into the small cave nooks in the rocky, elevated area of the temple. Here we found many sculptures and paintings, all depicting known figures from traditional Chinese folklores. It was wonderful to learn a bit or two about these myths since N’s grandparents are of Sino descent.
Not long after, we reached the macabre ground known as the Ten Chambers of Hell. We walked down the road and saw many unearthly sculptures of sinners being punished in different levels of purgatory. Different sins committed would yield different type of punishment (be it getting burnt alive, carved in half or crushed into a bloody pulp!). Though gruesome, they meant to be cautionary tales for the believers of Buddhism or anyone for that matter. There were also carvings of small underworld spirits littered down the chambers. It gave us the chills (I couldn’t get the scenes of dismemberment out of my head!).
To learn more about the sacred rituals of the devotees, we stepped into the temple’s main ceremony hall. We were greeted with the scent of sandalwood incense and the black-faced Chin Swee sitting on an altar within a stony recess.
The temple’s caretakers hailed directly from China so they spoke little English but they took the time to show us the intricate carvings on the wall. Those carvings tell the tales of Chin Swee’s life in 11th century China— his contributions and welfare all pictorially documented. Those who came to pray made their offerings and followed the instructions mounted in the hall on the prayer procession.
Everything was peaceful and balanced— just about any prayer could be answered from such a calm place.
PS Have a very happy Merdeka Day! Hope you're having one festive Sunday!
