Johor Baru Sri Raja Kaliamman Temple-Malaysia

Address

Johor Baru Sri Raja Kaliamman Temple, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak 1/1, Wadi Hana, 80300 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Diety

Shiva Amman: Rajakaliamman

Introduction

Sri Rajakaliamman Glass Temple is a Hindu temple in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. The temple was listed in the Malaysian Book of Records as the first and only glass temple in the nation. Constructed in 1922, this is one of the oldest temples located in Johor Baru. The land on which the temple stands was bequeathed to the Indians by the Sultan of Johore. Initially it resembled only a hut but over the years it has grown to become a grand one. The most unique aspect of this temple is its creative, intricate and neat glass work. The sanctum that houses the deity of Lord Shiva, over 3, 00,000 Rudraksha beads have been pasted onto the wall.

Puranic Significance

Johor bahru is malayasia’s second largest city. One of its oldest temples, the Sri Rajakaliamman Hindu Temple, was established in 1922.. Sri Sinnathamby Sivasamy inherited the temple from his father and inspired by the shine of glass artwork he witnessed while riding in a tuk-tuk he decided to remake the humble temple in all glass. The entire temple is covered in a mosaic of 300,000 multicolored pieces of glass, adorned with hundreds of thousands of glass beads, and contains statues of Gautama Buddha and Mother Teresa among others. The temple was founded in 1922 and built on land presented by the Sultan of Johor to the Indian community. The humble temple was reopened in 2009 after a grand US$1 million makeover. The centerpiece in the Athma Lingam sanctuary is a lotus for Shiva, on which devotees can pour rose water and perform their prayers. There are 10 gold-finished sculptures close to the ceiling. The idols are Shiva, Brahma, Hanuman, Durga, Rajakaliamman, Ganesha, Krishna, Vishnu, Sai baba, Gautama Buddha, and other murtis.

Special Features

Nine master craftsmen from Myanmar took 2 years to tile 95% of the temple with intricate designs made from finely cut colored glass. The 1 million pieces of glass covering the Arulmigu temple consists of six colors, namely blue, red, yellow, green, purple and white. The most unique aspect of this temple is its creative, intricate and neat glass work. The unique glass temple of Johor receives throngs of devotees from around the world.