Sri Kandaswamy Kovil, Brickfields

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.It is reputed to be one of the most orthodox temples in Malaysia where rituals are followed strictly in accordance the rules of Saiva Agama Scriptures. Videography and photography of the shrines are prohibited inside the temple.

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 (MCSA). 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 24 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 18 April 1903 to hold in trust the property purchased for the temple. On 18 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 9 February 1909 (Tamil year Keelaga 28th day of the Tamil month Thai).

Priests (Archahar)

In Saivite temples, only Saivite Brahmins of the hereditary Adisaiva priest lineage were entitled to conduct rites in Agamic Siva temples, Sri Kandaswamy Kovil follows this rule. The first priest of Sri Kandaswamy Kovil was Siva Sri R. Somaskanda Kurukkal. He was well known for his steadfast devotion to Lord Shanmugar, that even during the air raids by the Japanese during the early part World War 2 and later by the B.29 bombers of the Allied forces, the priest would continue with the daily poojas as if everything was normal. Somaskanda Kurukkal was succeeded by his son, Siva Sri Raju Kurukkal who was born in the temple residence and had served the temple from a very young age. In 1978 there was an need for an additional chief priest to meet the religious needs of the ever growing Communitity both in the temple abishegams, pujas and festivala and also in conducting weddings, final funeral rights, house warming ceremonies and Spcial Latchumy Pujas. For the first time a fully qualified priest from Jaffna, Siva Sri Kamatchi Sundareswara Kurukkal was invited to supplement the local Chief Priest. Siva Sri Parameswara Kurukkal is currently the Chief Priest of Sri Kandaswamy Kovil. He is assisted by a team of fully qualified Priests

Festivals

Sri Kandaswamy Kovil is hailed as one of the first temples in Malaysia to have celebrated the Soora Samhara festival which occurs as a conclusion to the Kantha Shasti fast (re-enactment of Lord Muruga's win over the demon) and one of two temples in Malaysia to celebrate the Kathirgama Kodiyetram festival. Till date, these two festivals are being celebrated in a big and grand scale. The scene of the Mock Battle between the Main Deity Arumugawsamy mounted on his Attukedai Vahanam (Vehicle in the form of Goat) and the Asuran, the Demon King appearing in various forms is a sight to experience. This is witnessed by thousands of devotees and this festival at sunset has been held for the last 80 – 90 years.

Of recent years, thousands of devotees throng the temple at the wee hours of the Thaipusam morning to offer prayers to Lord Muruga. They carry silver pots containing milk as offering to Lord Muruga as well as flowers and other gifts deemed appropriate.

It is note mentioning that annually this temple celebrates over 54 festivals where special abishegams, pujas, and festivals are held. This may be the only temple in Malaysia where the Main Deity mounts one of His many Vahanams (Divine mounts) for each and every festival. The Vahanams in His Stable are in the form of Peacock, double horse, single horse, Idapam (Divine Bull), Elephant, Goat, Illuminated carved manjam, Chariot, Singgaasam (Golden lion faced throne- the seat of an all-powerful Emperor), and Sapparam the Seat of Unification of the Divine and us mortals in Divine marriage. Our religion gives so much importance to all living creature. Saivites acknowledge that it is the Divine animals that will bring God to us, thus these vahanams. In the Thevarams by the Saivite Saints, God always appears with his Consort both mounted on His Divine Bull!

MCSA Youth Section

The youth section of the Malaysian Ceylonese Saivites Association has been actively serving the Sri Kandaswamy Kovil (Jalan Scott) for many decades. Since the humble beginning, the youth wing has been devoting themselves to the temple by helping with temple chores during festivals. However, in the past decade, the MCSA Youth has been doing more than just serving Lord Muruga in his palace. Alongside the temple work, the MCSA Youth’s Bhajan group serenades Lord Muruga on special occasions such as Sivarathri and Navarathri. Among other temple activities, cleaning is done semiyearly by the youth, where every nook and cranny of Lord Muruga’s palace is scrubbed and shined with love.

Not just stopping at serving Lord Muruga, the MCSA Youth believe in serving His children as well. In that spirit, they lend their hands to the Vivegananda Margam by delivering household provisions to the less fortunate on a monthly basis. Also, the MCSA Youth annually visits the children’s orphanage during the Deepavali season, bringing food and clothes along with fun activities for the children to partake.

The youth of this generation has taken a liking to the world beyond the four walls, and so has the MCSA Youth. An annual Nature’s Camp is organized by the MCSA Youth, catering to the teenagers, transforming them from single players to team players while allowing them to experience the lush greenery outside the hustle and bustle of city life. As for the MCSA Youth members, outdoor activities such as paintball, mountain hiking, and jungle trekking are held occasionally.

To stay fit, the MCSA Youth get their blood pumped with weekly dosages of futsal and badminton friendlies, on Saturdays and Sundays respectively. To relax an unwind, the youth hold quarterly potluck parties hosted by alternate members, and indulge in annual year end trips at selected local destinations such as Cameron Highlands, Fraser’s Hill and so on.

If these kind of activities float your boat, please feel free to down to Scott road and join in the fun.

External links

• Sri Kandaswamy Kovil Official Webpage