Cheng Hoon Teng Temple

Cheng Hoon Teng Temple is one of the most notable landmarks in Malacca. Set near the Hindu temple Sri Pogyatha Vinoyagar along Jalan Hang Lekiu (in Jonker Street) this Chinese temple is billed as the oldest Buddhist place of worship in the country. Built in 1646, it is also known as the ‘Merciful Cloud Temple’.

The temple is dedicated to Kuan Yin, Goddess of Mercy. A black, gold and red-robed statue of the goddess stands in the central prayer hall. Cheng Hoon Teng temple was constructed by Chan Lak Koa, son-in-law to Captain Li, Malacca’s second Chinese kapitan (a mediatory position created by the Dutch East India Company which made it possible for a non-white to govern Malacca’s diverse ethnic communities).

The main prayer hall of Cheng Hoon Teng Temple has a weighty saddled roof, domineering dark timber beams and beautiful carved woodwork. Smaller chambers devoted to ancestor worship are prominent throughout the temple: these rooms are filled with tablets bearing photographs of the deceased. Check out the wads of fake money and papier-mâché models of luxury items which are used as symbols of creature comforts for the dead. All building materials for the temple, and even the artisans concerned with its construction, were brought in from China.