RM10 mil Hindu temple to become new tourism icon for Klang

KLANG, Oct 27 (Bernama) — The royal town of Klang will get a new tourism icon in the form of a RM10 million Hindu temple, which will open its doors to worshippers and tourists by mid 2015. The Klang Sri Sundararaja Perumal Temple president S. Anandakrishnan said the temple, which is currently being rebuilt to be the first granite temple in the country, has the potential to be developed as an icon for tourism of international standard. “Once the granite temple is completed, discussions will be held with the Tourism Ministry to include the temple in their tourism calendar as a preferred choice to be visited by tourists. “We believe the temple has the potential to become a tourist attraction and a beautiful landmark in the royal town of Klang that could attract foreign tourist arrivals in the country,” he told Bernama. The Hindu temple, which is dubbed the Thirupathi of South-East Asia, has enlisted the efforts of 50 stone carvers and their families in Kanchipuram, 60km from Chennai, India, to craft the all-granite temple. Anandakrishnan said the granite structure followed the precise design formulae defined by southern Indian temple builders thousands of years ago. “It is believed using granite will cause the vibrations of the mantras to resonate at a higher level,” he said, adding that the consecration ceremony of the new temple would be held on June 9, 2015. In 2006, the temple was awarded with ISO 9001:2000 certification for its quality sustained contribution in religious, cultural and social service to Hindus.