History suggested, the establishment of the historical Penang Snake Temple (Also
c called Cheng Shui Giam" was originated from three Monks who traveled from
China settled south at the current location. They brought along a statue of Cheng-Swee_Zu_Shi
(some pronounced as "Cheng Swee Chor Soo", or simply as Cheng Shui Gong;
"Zu-shi" is an honorable title which interprets as "an eminent historic
figure who is continuously reversed by a community for generations". The Monks
had medical knowledge and offered their services attended to local needs. In 1873
during the colonial days of George Town being the admin centre for East India Company
operation in the far east, a British settler named David Brown donated the piece
of land to the three Monks after they cured his illness, that was when the temple
was first built. According the local legend, the snakes from nearby hilly region
began to swamp into the temple and somehow they were all tamed by Cheng-Swee_Zu_Shi.
The snakes in this temple never attack visitors and people who came here to worship
often serve the snakes with eggs. Other Views A
- current state| B | C
- original statue
OTHER Buddhist
temple in George
Town, Penang | close this window | MESSAGE BOARD / GUESTBOOK
|