Kek Lok Si pavilion finally finished

If you guys visited Penang Island before, then you would notice a big Kuan Yin statue on top of the hill.

The statue is located at the Kek Lok Si temple which is as far as I know is at least 100 years old.

The statue was not built then though, I think less than 10 years cause this one is bronze while there was another clay statue before that at the same spot but it started cracking and they replaced it with a bronze one.

The pavilion's construction was suggested slightly more than 10 years ago, where my parent would pray and give donations to the temple. (My mom's from Penang by the way)

After so many years, it is finally completed and it is now the tallest pavilion in the world.

Grand opening for 20-storey pavilion at temple

GEORGE TOWN: Buddhist devotees from 20 countries arrived here for the grand opening today of the 20-storey pavilion over the Goddess of Mercy (Kuan Yin) statue at the Kek Lok Si Temple in Air Itam.

The temple authorities are planning to list the RM40mil structure as the tallest pavilion in the world.

Making it big: Spotlights illuminating the skyline of the Kek Lok Si Temple in Air Itam yesterday. The huge octagonal pavilion to shelter the Goddess of Mercy ( Kuan Yin ) statue will open.

Temple trustee Datuk Steven Ooi said several thousand devotees, monks and chief monks from as far as the United States, New Zealand and Australia were already in town.

“I believe the grand opening of the pavilion, which coincides with the 118th anniversary of the temple, will be the biggest Buddhist event in the country since independence,” he said.

Ooi said there would also be a 20th memorial ceremony for the fourth chief abbot, the Venerable Bai Sheng, who is also the founder of the Kuan Yin statue.

The three-tiered 60.9m roof pavilion, which is supported by 16 granite pillars, serves as a canopy to shelter the 30.2m-tall bronze statue of Kuan Yin.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/12/6/nation/5250603&sec=nation