Ancient wisdom: The temple’s construction uses the Dougong traditional Chinese system that employs brackets to fit between the top of a column and the crossbeam. — ANDY LO and LIM BENG TATT/The Star
BUKIT MERTAJAM: Employing the Dougong architectural system, artisans from China craft intricate wooden structure carvings at a temple, all without the use of nails or bolts.
They chose the Dougong traditional Chinese system, employing brackets to fit between the top of a column and the crossbeam.
The emphasis for the wooden structure at the new RM26mil Tow Boo Keong Temple in Sungai Rambai here is to ensure the beams and pillars interlock and support each other.
Temple chairman Goh Soo Loon said a team of 22 artisans from Fujian, China, have been working on the project since early this year.
“These artisans are hired from China due to their expertise.
“Instead of constructing solely from granite or marble, we’ve added woodwork, using age-old techniques.
“Around 800 tonnes of locally sourced Merbau wood, known for its durability, will be carved into pillars, beams, arches, decorative panels and sculptures,” he said yesterday.
Construction began in November 2019 and is expected to be completed by 2027. — ANDY LO and LIM BENG TATT/The Star
Artisans carefully pare the wood at the site with chisels, some using mallets for larger shapes while others worked on fine details with precision tools.
The carvings are crafted section by section and then set aside, prepared for assembly at a later time.
The tallest pillars, carved from single pieces of wood, will stand over 6m high.
Temple construction began in November 2019 and is expected to be completed by 2027, according to the project chairman Sing Kheng Seng.
He said cranes were used to instal the wooden roof structures for the four pagodas, adding that works on the wooden structures were now 40% complete.
The new temple will be an expansion of the original one located in Jalan Sri Bukit that was built in 1976.
