Chin Swee Caves Temple
Chinese temple in Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia
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History
After completing the construction of Genting Highlands Resort in 1975, which at that time consisted only of a hotel with a small casino, Lim Goh Tong began the construction of the temple. He gathered a group of friends, many from his own Anxi clan with shared ancestry in the village of Penglai in Fujian Province, China, and established the Chin Swee Temple Society. Leading by example, Lim donated a 28-acre plot of land for the temple's construction. His companies, Resorts World Bhd and Genting Berhad, contributed RM8.1 million to the building fund. The late Lim was elected as the Chairman of the society while his son, Lim Kok Thay was appointed as its Deputy Chairman.
The temple, which was officially opened on 29 March 1994 by Ling Liong Sik (then the Malaysian Minister of Transport), overlooks lush green slopes of virgin forest with a view of the winding road ascending to Genting Highlands. Construction of the temple was challenging due to the steep and rocky terrain, which rendered modern machinery unusable for essential tasks such as piling. Lim Goh Tong, serving as planner, architect, designer, contractor, and supervisor, opted for manual labour to excavate the foundation. His team dug holes 80 to 100 feet deep on the difficult hillside. Despite the labour-intensive and time-consuming nature of the project, the temple was completed in 18 years. Remarkably, no casualties or work-related accidents were reported throughout the construction period.
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Features
The temple's first stage of development, costing an estimated RM12 million, comprises an imposing traditional structure. A massive statue of Buddha stands behind the building. There were originally around 10,000 blessing lamps installed for those looking to be blessed, but 2,000 remain today. The temple has tall red columns supporting an ornamental roof. The exterior wall carries many inscriptions that depict the Reverend Chin Swee's life and his major charitable and supernatural works. Within the temple, the statue of the Reverend Chin Swee placed, as per feng shui principles, at the northern part of the main hall with his face looking south. Behind the statue is a natural rock in a man-made flowing stream. The rock gives the necessary support to the statue while the stream provides clear cool mineral water throughout the year. This water has been named "Dragon Mineral Water" where it could heal the sick. The Reverend Chin Swee's birthday falls on the 6th day of Lunar New Year and is celebrated for ten days beginning from the first day of the Lunar New Year. Going forward and with the completion of these latest additions, the temple committee is planning for more events and celebrations aimed at depicting not only the good deeds of the Reverend Chin Swee but also the richness of the Malaysian Chinese culture.