Kuala Lumpur: The Arulmigu Sri Raja Kaliamman temple located in Jalan Tebrau, Johor Baru, Malaysia, is now world’s first glass Hindu temple. S. Sinnathamby, temple chairman, said that 95 per cent of the temple’s walls, ceiling, domes and pillars are decorated and garnished with over a million colourful glass pieces which were imported from Thailand, Japan and Belgium.
He added that the glass pieces were carefully put together by nine Myanmar workers, and motifs and symbols like the Swastika, Namam and Sri Chakra were created from the glass pieces in seven colors. He added that he first visualized the glass temple during his Thailand visit and funds for the construction were raised through community programmes and public donations.
The temple is set to become a major tourist attraction apart from being used by Hindu devotees. The temple is open for the devotees from 7 am to 10 pm daily, while visiting hours for tourists are between 1 pm and 5 pm. The temple is built on the land awarded by the Sultan of Johor in 1922 and in 1966 it was renovated for the first time. The total cost of the temple is approximately three million Ringgits. The air-conditioned temple can accommodate about 1,500 devotees.
The ceiling of glass temple has large crystal chandeliers hanging and the wall appear to have an unusual embossed texture. Each Rudraksha bead is embedded in the walls with chanted prayers.
