Sri Kandaswamy Kovil, Brickfields

Infobox Mandir

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caption = Entrance to the temple.
creator = Selangor Ceylon Tamil Association
proper_name = Sri Kandaswamy Kovil, Brickfields
date_built = 1903
primary_deity = Lord Muruga
architecture = Dravidian Architecture
location = Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Sri Kandaswamy Kovil is a Hindu temple located along Jalan Scott, Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The temple is over a century old now.

The temple is one of the most prominent Sri Lankan Tamil or Ceylonese Tamil temples in Malaysia. It is huge and showcases rich Sri Lankan Tamil architecture and has become a popular tourist attraction in Kuala Lumpur. The temple architecture is said to be inspired by the Nallur Kandaswamy temple in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.

The Kalamandapam hall which holds wedding ceremonies and is owned by this temple was officiated by the 2nd Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Abdul Razak.

The Sri Kandaswamy Kovil is managed by the Malaysian Ceylon Saivites Association. The temple provide religious services such as house warming ceremonies and child 31st day ceremony.

History

In British Malaya, the Ceylon Tamil population, who was then mainly employed in the railway industry, was mainly concentrated in Brickfields and Sentul because of the proximity of the Administrative Centre of the Malayan Railway (opposite the railway station) and the Sentul Workshop in Kuala Lumpur. The Government provided accommodation for the white and the blue collar workers in these areas. The Ceylon Tamils living in both these areas were devout Saivites and as they fervently believed that "no one should live in a place that has no Temple ", they soon began to organize themselve into Associations.

Temples and associations began to sprout in areas where there was a sizeable community. The railway staff residing in the Brickfields area, many of whom were students of Saiva Siddhanta Asiriar Sivapadasundaranar, an acknowledged follower of Sri Arumuga Navalar, felt that there was an urgen need for a place of worship in accordance with the Saiva Agamas. They were anxious to have a temple in order to practise and observe the Saiva Siddhantha Tenets and religious observances such as "Viratham"(fasting), "Thithis" (commemoration rituals), "Punniyaahavaasam" (purification ceremony), "Kantha Sasthy" and other observances and festivals.

With this in view, on 24th December, 1890 a group of Ceylon Saivites met at the residence of one Mr. V. Sinnapah, Acting Traffic Inspector, Malayan Railway and an influential member of the Ceylon Tamil community. At that meeting it was decided
* (a) to build a temple to worship Lord Subramaniam; and
* (b) to purchase an appropriate land to build the temple.

The Sri Kandaswamy Temple was born on that December day.

The land between the closed end of the cul-de-sac of the present Jalan Scott and the Klang River was considered most appropriate for the proposed temple because of its central position and also because the land was quite empty. It was purchased by the Selangor Ceylon Tamil Association in 1901 and the construction of the Kandaswamy temple commenced about the year 1902. The land title was originally registered in the name of Mr. V. Sinnappah. The First group of Trustees was selected on 18th April 1903 to hold in trust the property purchased for the temple. On 18th July, 1903 Mr. V. Sinnappah transferred the two lots of land registered in his name to the trustees.

A "Vel" was installed in the said land by His Holiness Sri Murugaswamy, an eminent Saivite, and a small temple with Gopuram was completed in 1909. The First Maha Kumba Abishegam of the Sri Kandaswamy Temple was held on 9th February, 1909 (Tamil year "Keelaga" 28th day of the Tamil month "Thai").

Festivals

On the holy day of Thaipusam, thousands of devotees throng the temple at the wee hours of the morning to offer prayers to Lord Muruga. They carry containers containing milk as offering to Lord Muruga as well as flowers and other gifts deemed appropriate.

External links

* [http://www.srikandaswamykovil.org/ Sri Kandaswamy Kovil Official Webpage]