Royal Museum - the Old Istana Negara

The Old Istana Negara or National Palace has now been transformed into the Royal Museum.

It was an interesting visit and it was nice to be able to see the inside of the Palace and even the bedrooms. Only 'complaint' was that you could only view the rooms from the doorway and not actually enter the rooms. So a lot of detail was not able to be appreciated. I'm sure there are reasons for this for example to preserve the rooms but it would have been nice to have been able to walk in.




For example, the bathrooms look very opulent, but you were unable to see very much from just the doorway. There was also an onsite clinic with a dentists chair!

The palace was actually a lot smaller than I imagined it to be.



Sadly, there was also no writeup about the history of the palace, but I met a guide who was in the adjacent Balai Rong Seri who gave me a rundown on the history. Photography inside the palace is also not allowed although you can take photos in the Balai Rong Seri.



The picture above shows the Throne used for the Agong's Installation as well as the ceremonial maces in front of the throne.


The palace was originally the home of a local Chinese businessman. It was later taken over the by Japanese during WWII and then later the British used it as a military outpost and also a senior military officers mess.

When the Federation of Malaya was formed, the Selangor State Government rented the residence from the owners and it was used as the palace of the Sultan of Selangor.

The Federal Government bought it over from the owners In 1957 the building became the Istana Negara for the newly created post of Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaya.

In 1980, the Balai Rong Seri was built for the installation ceremony of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong which was the first time the Installation was held at Istana Negara. Before this, the Installation Ceremonies were held at the Tunku Abdul Rahman Hall in Jalan Ampang, what we now know as the MATIC Building.

So overall a very educational and interesting experience! Tickets are cheap at RM5 for Adults and RM 3 for school kids.

Thean Hou Temple

Perched high above the city, in Robson Heights, is the Thean Hou Temple. This temple is one of the largest Chinese Temples in South East Asia. Thean Hou, also known as Mazu, is the Chinese Sea Goddess.


Statue of the Goddess Thean Hou, also known as Mazu

Thean Hou is also regarded as a Queen of Heaven and also as the "Maternal Grandmother". This apparently equates her status with the Christian belief of Mother Mary.


The temple was completed in 1987 and officially opened in 1989. Funded by Malaysian Hainanese, it is run by the Selangor & Federal Territory Hainan Association. Although the temple is dedicated to Thean Hou, it is also a place of worship to the Goddess Guan Yin or the Goddess of Mercy.



The front entrance has a gateway with dragon-themed columns and pagoda rooftops. The main temple hall, located on the top floor, is beautifully decorated. Inside the temple is a statue of the Goddess Thean Hou who is flanked on her right by the Goddess of Waterfront and the Goddess of Mercy on her left. The temple incorporates elements of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism and you will find other statues in the temple grounds reflecting this syncretism.


Other than a place of worship, the temple is also used for Chinese dinner ceremonies as well as a marriage registration center. You can also get panoramic views of the city from here.

Welcome

Welcome or as the locals say Selamat Datang!

I'm a local Malaysian, born and bred in Kuala Lumpur. There are plenty of things to see and do in Kuala Lumpur and I am doing a series of posts on the Landmarks in Kuala Lumpur - to give tourists and also locals a feel for what to see in Kuala Lumpur as well as some history behind the buildings and landmarks.

This website is called Kulsites - a play on the Airport Code for Kuala Lumpur (KUL) and the word 'cool'.

I hope you find this site interesting and I hope to hear from some of you!

Take care now and enjoy Kuala Lumpur.