Caving in SE Asia

27 February 2010

Enlightened Heart Buddhist temple pagoda

Enlightened Heart Buddhist temple

This is the temple with the large multicoloured pagoda, and is situated next to the Jingang Jing She temple, near Ampang Baru, outside Ipoh. It is not a cave temple, but I am including it here as the neighbouring Jingang temple is.

fruit trees

mining pond

Car park

As you enter the Buddhist temple, there is a set of Hindu statues close to the entrance.

Thai style Buddha
The entrance area leads to a large open area where a man told us it takes 15 minutes to climb the pagoda. It's about 10 storeys.

Looking at Jingang Jing She

There's a whole variety of statues, some brightly coloured, representing different forms of Buddhas and many other deities, some of which I recognised. There are the 4 guardians, each standing on a tiger, quite appropriate as I visited during Chinese New Year, year of the tiger. On the ground floor of the pagoda is a large blue Buddha dressed in a golden robe.

Nice colours

Buddha & fruit tiles

I'm not sure how to describe the pagoda - it's multicoloured, brightly coloured, bizarre construction and quite stunning. There are a series of different Buddha statues, the larger ones at the bottom. A staircase leads up to each level, and at the lower levels are platforms which are a bit like floating islands. Some of the walls are tiled, a mix of Buddhist scenes and tiles of fruit! Windows of coloured glass add to the general effect.

The pagoda looks as if it is unfinished, and has a real problem with birds. They are everywhere and of course their droppings are everywhere.

As you climb up you get good views over the surrounding countryside and also of the 24m high Amithaba Buddha statue in the next temple.

At the top is a large golden Buddha standing under a tree. It occupies about 4 storeys.

At the very top are 3 smaller Buddhas.

The outside of the pagoda is tiled and there are dozens of niches all containing statues.

Gunung Panjang

This runs the pulley

View from outside

A fascinating place!

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See album on Jingang Jing She temple.

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

14 February 2010

Gunung Senyum photos over 20 years

Excuse the quality of photos as they are old photos I have scanned and haven't bothered to play around with).

I've known Gunung Senyum for 20 years and there have been quite a few changes. My most recent visit was in January 2010.

Gunung Senyum became a tourist site in July 1989.

On my first visit in 1991 we thought we would have to walk for an hour to reach the hill from the end of the road, but found the road went all the way. However we had to drive through dusty oil palm plantations.

It was quite a dramatic view approaching the hill in those days.

At Senyum, the car park was right by Gua Cahaya Mata Hari (now called Terang Bulan). There were food stalls. The lake didn't exist, it was just a swampy area.

My 2nd visit was in 1992 -

Car park by the hill in 1991 -

My 3rd visit Jan 1996 and I found many changes. Drove in from Kg Awah, 46km, but there is a new road leading in from Temerloh. The old car park at the foot of the hill was abandoned, and the chalets which were built since 1992 were already ruined. The new car park was further away from the massif, in an open and treeless area.

Food stalls, staff quarters, toilet/shower block and outside taps, but no reception or office.

Sign boards 1991

1996 -

sign near the caves

sign now near office 2010

dadah sign, Terang Bulan 1996, and below - steps to Terang Bulan in 2010

All the caves are now fenced off with open gates. All the name boards have gone. There is a fence around Gua Kolam Tujuh and new metal ladders on the climbs.
1992 -

2010

1998 -

Gua Tok Makam Long is fenced with a locked gate as it is a dig site, but the side of the fence is broken open and the rangers take tours through here. Grave now built up with stone, and fenced. Excavations at this site were begun in August 1995 by Zulkifli Jaafar from National Museum. This site has been dated to the Hoabinhian and Neolithic periods. On my visit there was one dig pit in floor (3 skeletons).

Gua Cahaya Mata Hari, aka Terang Bulan, has a wooden walkway with handrail.

June 96 - New road now signposted, from Kg Awah.

3 pits in MTL, and bypass to the crawl.

June 97 - New rd from Temerloh, following river.

Archaeological dig in entrance to Terang Bulan.

Apr 98 - there is now a wooden office with balcony, where we slept.
New camping dorms, shower block.

Gua Gajah had a no entry sign -