Wooden structures of Nam Loong Ngam cave temple

The cave temples around Ipoh are quite well known, as religious sites and also tourist attractions.
The most 'advertised' in tourist literature are the ones at Gunung Rapat, e.g. Sam Poh Tong complex and Kek Look Tong, as well as Perak Tong north of Ipoh.

One of my favourites is/was Nam Loong Ngam [Nan Yang Koo Miau] at Gunung Layang Layang. I say 'was' because the old wooden temple structure has now completely gone, and the place has been completely modernised. It is a piece of history that has been wiped out.

The history of the Taoist temple dates back to the 'mid nineteenth' centry according to a document in the temple and in 1895 was exempted from registration by order of the British Resident. It was used for meditation by a single monk.

In 2005 it was decided to turn it into a Buddhist centre and to donate it to  Very Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche. A lama was resident since 2006 and a house was built for him as well as a 14 ft stupa.
This is how the wooden structure looked -

2001

2008 views -

In 2008 the cave name was officially changed to Thrangu Dharma Retreat Centre.

 And this was the new temple under construction -

 And this is the new temple

 

Inside it looks so different. Most of the old wooden stairs and platforms have gone, replaced with new stairs, metal handrails and tiled floors. Old stairs -

and new

The "Guinness god" (Prosperity) is still there although without the Guinness.

2008

I have lots of photos of inside the temple from 2001 to date. There are a lot of differences, the main one being the new 'upgrading' has opened up a new section of passage that was previously closed.
However the purpose of this blog is just to show the changes of the outside.


© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission