Temples full on Wesak Day
PENANG: Buddhists in the country thronged temples and religious centres to offer prayers and pay homage to Buddha as they celebrated Wesak Day yesterday.
The ritual of bathing the statues of Buddha with scented floral water could be seen in various temples.
Among the venues packed with devotees were the Dhammikarama Burmese Buddhist Temple and Wat Chaiya Mangalaram in Burmah Lane, Wat Buppharam in Perak Road, the Penang Buddhist Association in Anson Road, the Malaysian Buddhist Association in Burmah Road and Ang Hock See Buddhist Temple in Perak Road.
A crowd-puller was the new attraction of a pathfinders’ maze comprising 6,888 bamboo sticks at the Rajchaphohong Thai Buddhist Temple in Teluk Wang, Ara Kuda, near Bukit Mertajam.
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Paying homage to Buddha on Wesak Day |
In Kedah, thousands of devotees celebrated by gathering at Wat Boonyaram in Padang Sera near Jitra. They bathed statues of Buddha, lighted lotus lamps and gave alms.
At Wat Nikhrodharam in Jalan Stadium, Alor Star, special prayers were organised for devotees since April 19.
The devotees also visited an exhibition to buy books and items on Buddhism.
Kedah Buddhist Association President Lim Heng Wan said the number of devotees attending this year’s celebration was bigger due to the four-day public holidays from Saturday to Tuesday.
He said the association had organised several prayer and charity events from April 19 to May 15 at Wat Nikhrodharam for this year's celebration.
Lim said a 5km float procession along Jalan Sultan Badlishah, Jalan Langgar, Jalan Pekan Cina and Lebuhraya Darulaman was held last night.
“More than 3,000 devotees from all over Kedah took part in the procession which was held annually,” he added.
In Kuching, hundreds of devotees attended a special Wesak Day prayer at the Sarawak Buddhist Association building.
Present were state Assistant Ministers Datuk Sim Kheng Hui and Datuk Alfred Yap Chin Loi, Works Ministry’s parliamentary secretary Datuk Yong Khoon Seng and Kuching City South Mayor Chan Seng Khai.
Similar prayers were held in other Buddhist temples where vegetarian meals were prepared for devotees.
A street procession featuring contingents from the various Buddhist bodies last night was the highlight for the annual celebration.
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