The Snake Temple — Hock Kheng Keong, the Temple of the Azure Cloud — sits on the south of Penang island close to the airport. It was founded in 1850 in honour of the Hokkien deity Chor Soo Kong, but its real claim to fame is the resident population of venomous green pit vipers that live in the temple, draped over the altar railings, the joss-stick burners and the carved roof beams. The priests say the snakes have lived in the temple since shortly after it was built and have never attacked a worshipper.
The numbers have fallen since the temple's heyday — habitat loss and the surrounding industrial estate mean far fewer wild snakes now come and go — but at any time you can usually see several pit vipers coiled around the altar area, with a few more in the small associated reptile garden. Photographs are permitted. The temple is a working religious site rather than a tourist attraction in spirit, despite its quirky reputation. The location is convenient as a stop on the way to or from the airport.