Kek Lok Si — the Temple of Supreme Bliss — is the largest Buddhist temple complex in Malaysia and one of the most impressive in Southeast Asia. It clings to a hillside in Air Itam, about 7 km west of central Georgetown, and has grown continuously since work began in 1890 under the abbot Beow Lean, a Chinese monk who chose the site after a long search for a hill of auspicious feng shui.
The complex spreads up the slope in a series of pavilions, courtyards and temples, connected by stairs and arcades crammed with souvenir stalls. The centrepieces are the Pagoda of the Ten Thousand Buddhas, a seven-storey hybrid in Chinese, Thai and Burmese styles topped with a Burmese-influenced golden stupa (1930); and, higher up, the enormous bronze statue of Guanyin the goddess of mercy, 36.5 metres tall and sheltered under a circular pavilion completed in 2009. A short funicular shuttle saves the steepest climb.
The complex is most spectacular during Chinese New Year, when it is decked with thousands of lanterns and bulbs that turn the whole hillside into an illuminated cascade visible from the centre of Georgetown. Allow two to three hours; wear comfortable shoes. Free entry; small charges for the pagoda and the lift.