My Heavenly Visit To Hua Seng Keng Temple

Have you ever been to a heavenly place which is located deep in a jungle where it is hard to be reached by us, mortal human without transpo...

Have you ever been to a heavenly place which is located deep in a jungle where it is hard to be reached by us, mortal human without transportation? That is exactly the place that I have visited during my previous "balik kampung" trip to Taiping. However this celestial venue that I visited was not located deep in a jungle. Instead it is being nestled in the midst of Kuala Gula Palm Estate. One hour was needed in order for us to get there. We really enjoyed our serene journey which was decorated with lush greenery.

Welcome to Hua Seng Keng.

Are you ready to step into this heavenly temple?

After wading through plantations of palm trees, we finally arrived at paradisical destination-Hua Seng Keng Temple (华圣宫). We could see quite a number of foreign cars making a beeline into the temple. I guess most of them were seeking divine intervention in their lives huh...or their were like us...tourists, who came to sight-see. It was very obvious that temple had been founded for quite some time already. The buildings and sculptures were old and washed-out. But then again...I couldn't help but feel the calming ambiance enveloping the whole temple.

One of the altars.

Tigers and drum.

Dragon and bell.

The guardian. Nothing dares to mess with him!

My beloved wife and baby Jordan. :)

Of course the first thing we did...was to grab a few joss sticks to pay our respect to all the Gods and Deities residing in this temple...literally speaking. The architecture of the temple is rather simple. You have the usual altars, bells and some wall sculptures and paintings. First glance of it, you can tell that it looks like any other typical temples that can be found in Malaysia. However...once you go to the back of this temple...a whole new surreal world is awaiting you. You will be amazed.

Let's go out and beyond...

Once you leave the main temple and walked towards its left, you will notice a huge gaping mouth awaiting you. It is the divine mouth of the celestial dragon. You will surely feel at ease with its huge, long fangs. My father-in-law, sister-in-law, wifey, baby Jordan and I walked directly into the mouth of the dragon and through its throat. Ha :D There is actually a flight of steps that leads to another part of the temple-heaven? So what can you see while you are "on heaven"? Let's find out.

Enter the mouth of the Dragon.

Goddess of Mercy.

Her two faithful disciples.

Usually God will be in heaven right? So yes~we did meet God. On the elevated part of the temple, the Goddess of Mercy (Kwan Yin Pu Sa) is standing majestically with her sight affixed to the far side of the temple. She is holding a vase of with the gesture of pouring holy water onto the earth, which signifies the gesture of blessing. Aww...I feel so warm and at peace while standing underneath Her. As usual She is flanked by her two disciples. They were standing directly opposite of Her, waiting patiently to what She is saying. :)

The cave.

Can anyone tell me what's written on the cave?

After our encounter with the Dragon and Goddess of Mercy, we ventured deeper into the temple. There is actually a cave inside the vicinity of the temple. I am not so sure why the cave is there...perhaps it can bless hikers with fortune and luck? Moving on we came to "mini" Great Wall of China. While we were crossing the bridge, we were astounded to meet the next celestial being. At least a dozen of terrapins or tortoises were spotted swimming in their sanctuary (pond) just below of the Great Wall of China. They are HUGE~must be older than me.

My father-in-law and little Jordan are conquering the Great Wall of China.

Hmm...what is little Jordan looking at?

Aww...terrapins...or is it tortoises?

What I bumped into next...had totally shocked me. What happened? Well...you have to watch the slideshow carefully. :p You see, as we left the tortoises and walked towards the end of the temple...we saw some familiar faces. They were the 12 zodiac animals which participated in the celestial race eons ago. Haha :D No disrespect but most of them look really, really funny. I actually had to stifle my giggles while framing them into my camera. Wait...there are only 11 zodiac animals being snapped by me? What had been halal-ly left out? And...and....there is one fabled creature that shouldn't be here at all. Find out about the truth in the slideshow (below).

Question No. 1: Who was missing?

Question No. 2: Who was not supposed to be here?

Finally we came to the end of the temple, which is a pond. Walking round the pound, overlooking the lush greenery which covered it was such a therapeutic experience. The lotus that gleamed in the middle of the mini-lake had certainly made my day. Besides the fresh air had truly rejuvenated my polluted body. Aww...so invigorating. Hua Seng Keng Temple is more than just your ordinary temple. It is like a paradise here. Gotta thank my father-in-law for bringing us to this temple.

Strolling round the pond.

Buds of lotus greeting our arrival.

Calming greenery...


Come to Hua Seng Keng. :)

I have been really impressed with what I had seen. A truly heavenly experience if you ask me. Too bad I didn't have enough time to snap more photos as little Jordan was already feeling very tired. Then again even if I could...I doubt my lousy camera could justify the beautiful backdrops and sculptures found here. If you happen to be in Kuala Gula, do pay Hua Seng Keng a visit. Make sure your camera is fully juiced OK. :)

View Kuala Gula in a larger map
How to get to Hua Seng Keng Temple in Kuala Gula.