Dhammikarama Burmese Temple ( my, ဓမ္မိကာရာမမြန်မာကျောင်း) is a Burmese temple in

Pulau Tikus Pulau Tikus is a northwestern suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Situated between the city centre and Tanjung Tokong, this upper class suburb was named after a rock just off the coast of Penang Island. It is home to small minorities of ...

suburb of George Town of Penang in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. Situated in Burmah Road, the temple located close to the Wat Chayamangkalaram. It is the sole and oldest Malaysian Burmese temple in the state. The temple also became a focal point for the annual

Water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

Thingyan Thingyan (, ; Arakanese: ; from Sanskrit '' saṁkrānti,'' which means "transit f the Sun from Pisces to Aries) is the Burmese New Year Festival that usually occurs in middle of April. Thingyan is the first ever water festival celebrated in ...

and

Mid-Autumn The Mid-Autumn Festival ( Chinese: / ), also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture. Similar holidays are celebrated in Japan (), Korea (), Vietnam (), and other countries in Ea ...

festivals as well for

Buddhist Lent The ''Vassa'' ( pi, vassa-, script=Latn, sa, varṣa-, script=Latn, both "rain") is the three-month annual retreat observed by Theravada practitioners. Taking place during the wet season, Vassa lasts for three lunar months, usually from July ...

and Candle Lighting Days within the city suburb.

History

Since the early 19th century, there had been a Burmese settlement in

. On 1 August 1803, a small temple named "Nandy Moloh Temple" was erected in the area by the Burmese community from a land donated by Nyonya Betong after she purchased a land for $390 (

Spanish dollar The Spanish dollar, also known as the piece of eight ( es, Real de a ocho, , , or ), is a silver coin of approximately diameter worth eight Spanish reales. It was minted in the Spanish Empire following a monetary reform in 1497 with content ...

) from George Layton. The first

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The ...

for the temple was U. Nandamala. Since its early times, women devotees have been the mainstay of the temple with four female trustees; Nyonya Betong, Nyonya Meerut, Nyonya Koloh and Nyonya Bulan. As the Burmese community grows, they later appealed to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

for additional lands to extend the temple size as well for the burial grounds of the elders. This was received positively by the government of the Straits Settlements and a grant was made to two Burmese female trustees named Nongmay and Boonkhan during the term of W. J. Butterworth as the Straits Settlements

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

in 1845.

Features

Established as a ''

kyaung A ''kyaung'' (, ) is a monastery ( vihara), comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Buddhist monks. Burmese ''kyaungs'' are sometimes also occupied by novice monks (samanera), lay attendants ('' kappiya''), nuns ('' thilashin''), and y ...

'' (

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

), the temple serves as a retreat for Buddhist devotee, with a monks' quarters, a preceptees' lodge and a library within the temple grounds. Numerous statues of the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

and mythical creatures such as elephants, fishes and the ''

garuda Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda ...

'' to symbolise the "three realms of land, air and sea" are scattered within the temple, including a pair of winged chimeras known as '' Panca Rupa'' (the Guardian Protectors of the World) and a huge mural depicting the Renunciation of the Buddha. As with other Burmese temples, the ''

chinthe ''Chinthe'' ( my, ခြင်္သေ့ (); mnw, ဇာဒိသိုၚ် (); shn, သၢင်ႇသီႈ ()) is the Burmese word for 'lion'. The leograph of ''Chinthe'' is a highly stylized lion commonly depicted in Burmese iconogra ...

'' is another prominent creature within the temple with the temple compound also featuring a gardening landscape. The oldest portion of the temple is its '' stupa'', which was consecrated in 1805. The '' stupa'' was then enshrined within an outer ''stupa'' that was built in 1838, along with the temple's ordination hall - '' Sasana Vamsa Sima Shrine Hall -'' which is guarded by a pair of stone elephants. The shrine hall was last renovated in 1995 to cope with the increase in the number of devotees. The standing Buddha in the shrine hall has a gold-gilded backdrop of carvings with the hall ceiling also exhibits fine carvings which are lacquered brown. In addition, a well was also dug for use by the surrounding Burmese community but since the advent of piped water, the well has since been left unused. The temple's ''

Arahant In Buddhism, an ''arhat'' (Sanskrit: अर्हत्) or ''arahant'' (Pali: अरहन्त्, 𑀅𑀭𑀳𑀦𑁆𑀢𑁆) is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved ''Nirvana'' and liberated ...

Upagutta

Shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...

'' was originally constructed in a wooden structure in 1840 before a new shrine is built in 1976. ''Upagutta'' is said to possess the power to ward

evil spirit Evil, in a general sense, is defined as the opposite or absence of good. It can be an extremely broad concept, although in everyday usage it is often more narrowly used to talk about profound wickedness and against common good. It is generally ...

s, obstacles and dangers. The shrine is accompanied by two other statues; one of them are ''

Khema Khema (Pali: Khemā; Sanskrit: Kṣemā) was a Buddhist ''bhikkhuni'', or nun, who was one of the top female disciples of the Buddha. She is considered the first of the Buddha's two chief female disciples, along with Uppalavanna. Khema was b ...

''. Subsequently, a new structure called as the "Golden Pagoda Bell Tower" were added to the temple where it is completed in 2011 with a cost of RM3 million. As with the rest of the temple, its ''

pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...

'' is steeped in Burmese architectural styles, with artisans brought in from

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

specifically for the construction of the structure. File:Penang-Dhammikarama-Burmese-Temple-Burmah-Lane-Mar-2001-00.jpg, A

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

standing in front of the temple gate. File:Penang Malaysia Dhammikarama-Burmese-Buddhist-Temple-09.jpg, The ''Panca Rupa'' winged chimeras (the Guardian Protectors of the World). File:BURMESE 4 DSC 0376.jpg, The temple '' stupas'' as seen in 2008. File:Burmist and Siam Temple (32508093621).jpg, Arahant Upagutta File:Penang Malaysia Dhammikarama-Burmese-Buddhist-Temple-04.jpg, Roofing arts with

Burmese architecture The architecture of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), in Southeast Asia, includes architectural styles which reflect the influence of neighboring and Western nations and modernization. The country's most prominent buildings include Buddhist pag ...

. File:Dhammikarama Burmese Buddhist Temple (12290272223).jpg, The ''Sima Shrine Hall''. File:Penang Malaysia Dhammikarama-Burmese-Buddhist-Temple-07.jpg, Inside one of the temple hall.

References

External links

* {{Malaysian historical architectures and sites Religious buildings and structures completed in 1803 1800s establishments in Penang Buddhist temples in Malaysia Religious buildings and structures in Penang Tourist attractions in George Town, Penang Overseas Burmese Buddhist temples Burmese Theravada Buddhist temples and monasteries 19th-century Buddhist temples