Sunday, January 12, 2014

Kellie's Castle Night Tour

 Latest on Kellie's Castle - Batu Gajah,Perak, Malaysia





Batu Gajah -Kellie’s Castle — known as one of the top few most haunted buildings in Malaysia — has announced it is set to launch night tours for those eager to experience supernatural activities at the unfinished Moorish-styled mansion from the end of January.

General manager for Le Shuttle, the management company running the castle, Zamari Muhyi, said the tour would be the first of its kind in the country.

“Kellie’s Castle is known as a haunted mansion, therefore having such tours will attract many international and local paranormal research groups,” he said.

Zamari said he had experienced the supernatural when he listened, through ultrasound equipment, to the sound of a woman crying somewhere in the castle and it gave him the shivers.

“The paranormal tour will add to the mansion’s tourism potential, which is well known for its colonial-era history and architecture.

“Safety will be a top priority and each tour will be accompanied by our guides, including an ustaz (Muslim scholars trained in Islam and Islamic law), in case of something ‛unexpected’,” he said.

Each tour will have a maximum of eight persons, and will only be conducted on four nights in a month.

He added that visitors would also have the chance to use special equipment used by paranormal researchers.

The mansion was built — at the cost of many workers’ lives — in the 1900s on the bank of the Kinta River here by William Kellie Smith, a wealthy Scottish planter who prospered after coming to Malaya.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Borneo Rainforest Musical Festival

Sarawak Tourism




 
 
Sarawak is the largest state in Malaysia covering an area of nearly125,000 square kilometers in the Borneo land mass. With such a large land area, Sarawak is home to an incredible range of tropical bio-diversity. With a population of around 2 million, Sarawak's rich ethnic diversity offers a unique local experience at the very moment you step of the plane. All that stands between you and Sarawak is your desire for an adventure and experience that is waiting to happen.

From rainforest canopies to jungle wildlife, discover the diverse ecosystem of Malaysia's largest state. A city of modernity yet cloaked with its rich historical charms, Sarawak is a place where commonality and peacefulness is a way of life. A paradise of adventure for the adventure buffs, from the land to the sea, from mild to vigorous, whatever the challenge; if you're ready for it, you can be sure Sarawak will give you an experience like no other.
 
 

Monday, December 2, 2013

Top 50 Events and Festivals - Visit 1Malaysia 2014



Millions of fascinations. Hundreds of events and festivals await your discovery for 365 days and beyond. It's a non-stop fusion of colourful sights, sounds and experiences. It's the nation's biggest and grandest tourism celebration.


Visit 1Malaysia 2014  Launching

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Admiral Cheng Ho - (Zheng He The Explorer)

Admiral Cheng Ho

Zheng He (Cheng Ho)  is best known for his voyages to the Middle East and Africa, and across Southeast Asia while climbing in rank from a captured servant to one of his nation's most trusted statesmen. He was born in 1371 in what is now China's Yunnan province during the reign of the Ming Dynasty. Like his father and grandfather, he was a Muslim.

And his great-great-great-grandfather was a Persian who served at the top ranks of the Mongolian Empire and as a governor under the Yuan Dynasty. Zheng He's father was killed when the Ming Dynasty sought to destroy remnants of the Yuan era, and Zheng He was captured, castrated and brought to Beijing. There he served in the palace of Prince Zhu Di, a son of the Ming Dynasty's founder. Zheng He quickly gained the prince's trust in the course of several battles and campaigns across China as a bodyguard and informal adviser.

Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple





Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple-Malacca

The Chettiar community from South India were profoundly involved in the construction of Hindu temples, especially dedicated to their loving Vinayagar. As mercantile tradesmen, they travelled the world, but also brought along their worship of Lord Vinayagar to Malacca. Located at Jalan Tukang Emas, Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Malaysia, built in 1781. This street is called Harmony Street because of the close proximity of holy sanctuaries of different religions in this area. The sanctuaries here are the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, the Kampung Kling’s Mosque and the Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple. The temple was built a land donated by Kapitan Thaivanayagam Chitty, a distinguished Indian resident residing in Malacca. As many Hindu ancestors from Malacca had a close association with this temple, that bond has been reinforced over time, creating a strong connection with the Hindu families residing in Malacca. 


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Bukit Cina- Melaka


Bukit Cina - Malacca
Bukit Cina is the ancestral burial ground of Malacca’s Chinese community. Also known as Chinese Hill, it is the largest and oldest Chinese graveyard outside of China itself with over 12,500 graves. Although it is primarily a graveyard for early Chinese settlers, the cemetery has about 20 Muslim tombs, too.
The oldest grave in Bukit Cina is that of Tin Kap, the first Chinese kapitan (a mediatory position created by the Dutch East India Company which made it possible for them to rule the various ethnic communities). These days the 20ha hill is chiefly used as a jogging track.

According to the Malay Annals, Bukit Cina was a marriage gift from Sultan Mansur Syah (ruler of the Malacca Sultanate) to Princess Hang Li Poh from China.  After Princess Hang Li Poh had converted to Islam, Sultan Mansur Syah married her and ordered a palace to be built at Bukit Cina for his wife and her entourage that followed her from China. They stayed in this Chinese settlement until the Portuguese invaded in 1511. The Chinese community eventually grew into a class of straits-born Chinese known as the Peranakan. The Portuguese once built a Franciscan chapel on the hill dedicated to “Madre de Deus” (Mother of God) but the chapel was destroyed during the Achinese attack in Melaka  in 1629.
 
 

Cheng Hoon Teng Temple

 
 
 
 
Cheng Hoon Teng Temple-Melaka
 Cheng Hoon Teng Temple is one of the most notable landmarks in Malacca. Set near the Hindu temple Sri Pogyatha Vinoyagar along Jalan Hang Lekiu (in Jonker Street) this Chinese temple is billed as the oldest Buddhist place of worship in the country. Built in 1646, it is also known as the ‘Merciful Cloud Temple’. The temple is dedicated to Kuan Yin, Goddess of Mercy. A black, gold and red-robed statue of the goddess stands in the central prayer hall. Cheng Hoon Teng temple was constructed by Chan Lak Koa, son-in-law to Captain Li, Malacca’s second Chinese kapitan (a mediatory position created by the Dutch East India Company which made it possible for a non-white to govern Malacca’s diverse ethnic communities.)
Apparently a fortune teller was consulted for advice on the location and construction of Captain Li’s grave: allegedly a grave deeper than three feet would benefit Li’s son-in-law, Chan Lak Koa, while a shallower grave would bring prosperity to his son. Whether intended or not, the grave was made three-and-a-half feet deep, and Chan Lak Koa’s relative success after his father-in-law’s death motivated him to construct the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple as an expression of gratitude for his success.