Chan See Shu Yuen Temple

Chan See Shu Yuen Temple is one of the largest and oldest surviving Buddhist temples in Malaysia. Located at the southern end of Jalan Petaling, it is characterized by a typical open courtyard and symmetrical pavilions, and decorated with colourful paintings, woodcarvings and ceramic fixtures. Built between 1897 and 1906, it is quite an elaborate temple: from outside you can see the intricately carved kwang-tung roof, gables and specially-crafted terracotta friezes with monumental Chinese history and mythological scenes. The interior of the main temple has pillars with scenes of gold-painted warriors battling lions, dragons and other mythical creatures.

Sri Maha Mariamman Temple

South of Jalan Hang Lekir, tucked away on Jalan Tun HS Lee, is the extravagantly decorated Sri Mahamariamman Temple. Incorporating Spanish and Italian tiles, precious stones and gold in its design, KL’s main Hindu temple is an incongruous sight situated between two Buddhist temples at the edge of Chinatown. This large and elaborate Hindu temple was founded by Tamil immigrants, from southern India, who arrived in Malaya as contract labourers to build the railways and roads or work in the rubber plantations – its primary purpose was to serve as a solace from the rigours of their working life. Construction of the temple began in 1873 with plenty of ongoing restoration and embellishment occurring over the years.