Piece of history: A temple committee member preparing the centuries-old incense burner ahead of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival at Tow Boh Keong Temple in Hong Kong Street, Penang. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
Penang temple’s 200-year-old incense burner has cultural, historical value
GEORGE TOWN: A sacred incense burner, estimated to be over 200 years old, has been unveiled at a temple here, ahead of the nine-day Nine Emperor Gods Festival which starts on Tuesday.
Believed to be Malaysia’s oldest Taoist ritual artefact, the burner — made from rare brick and copper — was brought from China before the Tow Boh Keong Temple was founded 183 years ago.
Temple adviser and trustee Datuk Seri Choot Ewe Seng said early Chinese settlers who worshipped Kew Ong Yeah (Nine Emperor Gods) had used the incense burner for prayers and purification rites before a permanent temple was built.
“Our forefathers carried this burner from China over 200 years ago. It was used to pray and to remind devotees to observe a clean and vegetarian lifestyle during the festival.
“They would bathe, wear new clothes, clean their homes and refrain from eating meat as a sign of respect to the gods,” he said.
This is the first time the temple has displayed the burner openly.
“We want the public and the younger generation to know about this piece of living history.
“In the past, it was kept secret as people feared it might be stolen or damaged. But now we want to share this heritage with everyone.”
Choot said the burner had been kept in the temple’s inner sanctum.
“It has remained in perfect condition for over two centuries,” he said.
“There is no corrosion or damage. It looks exactly as it did when our ancestors brought it here.”
He said the burner reminds devotees of the discipline, purity and endurance that the festival represents.
“It connects us to the same faith and values that sustained our ancestors 200 years ago.
“It is our duty to preserve and continue it for generations to come,” he said.
Choot said the burner was enshrined as its principal relic, linking the worship rituals brought by the early immigrants to the temple’s foundation.
The burner’s composite material of brick fused with copper makes it virtually irreplaceable today.
“Even in China, very few craftsmen can make something like this now. The materials and method have been lost with time,” he explained.
During the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, the burner is regarded as the symbolic seat of the deities.
Taoist priests perform the invocation ceremony by lighting incense, inviting the Nine Emperors to “descend” into the burner, which then becomes the spiritual focus for prayers.
Once the festival begins, the burner is returned to its sacred chamber where no one is allowed to touch or photograph it.
Devotees believe the deities reside within it until the festival ends.
“After the festival starts, it must remain in silence before the gods,” Choot said.
Historically, incense burners such as this served as portable altars for early Chinese communities that lacked formal temples.
They were carried from place to place, allowing the worship of celestial deities wherever settlers lived or traded.
Over time, the tradition took root in Penang and became one of the most elaborate Taoist celebrations.
Observed by Taoists, the festival is dedicated to the nine sons of Tou Mu, the Goddess of the North Star who is believed to control the Books of Life and Death.
Devotees believe the gods came through the waterway and processions are usually held from temples to the river or seashore as a symbolic gesture.
