Seremban temple unveils 9m-tall Kuan Yin statue

SEREMBAN: A 9.1m high statue of the goddess Kuan Yin, the tallest of its kind in the country dedicated to childless couples seeking her blessings, was unveiled at a temple near here.

The majestic statue, which shows Kuan Yin in her most popular manifestation as Sung-tze or the “Giver of Children”, was carved out of stone and brought in from Fujian province in China.

Weighing 20 tonnes, the statue was unveiled at a ceremony at the 150-year-old Cheng Koo Temple yesterday.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen, who witnessed the event, commended the temple committee for taking up the project which cost RM350,000.

“This is not only a noble project but one that will help boost tourism for the state,” said Ng who gave a RM30,000 donation for the project.

Dr Ng also proposed that the temple committee undertake more work to beautify the surrounding area.

She suggested the creation of a bunga raya garden within the temple premises and that the committee considers constructing more statues on the grounds.

“You can have little statues of babies for example,” she said, adding that the temple was easily accessible as it was located very close to the North-South Expressway.

She said her ministry had allocated more than RM16mil for tourism projects in the state for the next two years.

The projects included the beautification of the Teluk Kemang beach in Port Dickson (RM10mil), upgrading works at Taman Orchid here (RM4mil) and the Ulu Bendul recreational park in Kuala Pilah (RM2.2mil).