Ultimate guide to Kek Lok Si temple in Penang, Malaysia

Kek Lok Si, meaning the “Temple of Supreme Bliss”, is a massive Buddhist temple complex in Air Itam in Penang, Malaysia. You’ll find it at the foothills of Penang Hill and West of George Town, Penang. It’s one of the island’s main toursit attractions, and it’s easy to see why! The Kek Lok Si temple is one of the most beautiful temples in all of Malaysia, on a similar level to Thean Hou temple in Kuala Lumpur or the cave temples in Ipoh. Kek Lok Si has several pagodas, prayer halls and gardens to explore. Its highlights are the stunning Ban Pho Tar Pagoda and the gigantic bronze statue of the Goddess Guan Yin that overlooks the city. In this guide to Kek Lok si temple in Penang I will help you plan your visit, making sure you don’t miss out on anything and laying out all practicalities needed.

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Guide to Kek Lok Si temple

Kek Lok Si is a massive complex, so it is easy to be confused by its structure and organization. The temple is divided in stations that are connected by funiculars. While you don’t need to use to funiculars at all to visit the temple, it makes it easier to divide it in sections. Here are the main areas of Kek Lok Si:

Lower Station: Market (not part of the temple), Liberation Pond.

Middle Station: Avalokitesvara Hall, Central Courtyard, Three-Tier Pagoda, Main Prayer Hall, Kek Lok Si Pagoda (Ban Pho Tar).

Upper Station: Guan Yin Pavilion.

Trigger warning: you will see several Buddhist symbols in these pictures that, even though they may look similar to a Nazi swastika, it is much older and completely unrelated in meaning to it. However, if you are triggered by it perhaps you should not continue reading.

1. Liberation Pond

The Liberation Pond is a big pond filled with turtles and surrounded by Chinese arched bridges. While the pond is beautiful, I am a bit concerned about how sanitary it is for the animals. It is located right after the souvenir market, making it the first stop to visit when reaching the temple by foot.

2. Avalokitesvara Hall (Hall of Bodhisattvas)

The Hall of Bodhisattvas is the main praying area in the temple. It is a huge shrine containing three massive Boddhisattva statues. If you look into the walls, you’ll notice that they’re made of hundreds of golden Guan Yin statues that are illuminated individually at night.

3. Central Courtyard

The central courtyard is a stone yard with a fountain with covered stone steps wrapped around it. The main feature of the courtyard is the Garden Pavilion of Lord Buddha, a circular pavilion with a Buddha statue. The best part of the central courtyard is that it is surrounded by some of the main sites in the temple, offering views of the Ban Pho Tar Pagoda, the Three-Tier Pagoda, the Main Prayer Hall and the Hall of Bodhisattvas.

The Amitabha Buddha Pagoda follows the steps of the Central Courtyard. Towards the end of the staircase, you’ll find two doors, a big one that enters the Main Prayer Hall of Kek Lok Si, and a very ornate circular door with painted reliefs of scenes of Buddha. The latter leads to the garden around the Amitabha Buddha Pagoda. The gardens are serene and lush and are lined by hundreds of almost life-sized Buddha statues! Inside, only the first two tiers are open to the public, with a Thai-style Buddha in the ground floor and three golden seated Buddhas in the first floor. You’ll also get nice views of Penang from the balcony!

5. Main Prayer Hall and Minor Halls

The main building at Kek Lok Si contains the Hall of the Mahawira, which is the main prayer hall of the temple, as well as other prayer halls such as the Hall of the Laughing Buddha or the Hall of the Horse-headed Kuan Yin. It is also home to the Drum Tower. This area is massive and it is difficult to explore completely unless you have a lot of time! Is is also generally crowded with worshippers. When we visited they were giving away books about Buddhism and meditation, which was great!

6. Kek Lok Si Pagoda (Ban Pho Tar)

The Kek Lok Si Pagoda, also known as Ban Pho Tar or the “Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas” is definitely the highlight of the temple for me. To enter the pagoda you’ll have o pay 2 RM (0.4€) to a lady in a counter at the entrance. It is ridiculously cheap and well worth the money.

Great Hall of Kek Lok Si

The first thing you’ll find when you enter the pagoda area is a massive prayer hall, known as the Great Hall of Kek Lok Si. This hall houses three Buddha statues and it is used for religious events, like seminars, ordinations and such. After that, you’ll access the Chinese gardens surrounding the pagoda, where you’ll find a small shed housing the Kek Lok Si Bell. Don’t forget to ring it three times for good luck!

Ban Pho Tar (Kek Lok Si pagoda)

Next, the main course, the Kek Lok Si pagoda. This 30m tall pagoda, also known as Ban Pho Tar, is definitely the highlight of the temple. It is built in the middle of a beautiful Chinese garden and it spans 7 floors that are divided into different styles: the lower tier is Chinese, the middle tier is Thai and the upper tier and crown are Burmese style.

The pagoda also contains several Buddha figurines in gold, wood or alabaster, as well as other artefacts. You can climb the 7 floors of the pagoda and discover the different styles of Buddha statuettes in each floor. Don’t forget to step out on its balconies, which offer gradually better views of the temple grounds and Penang!

7. Guan Yi Statue

This is another one of the most characteristic features of the temple. High in the hill behind the temple, you’ll find a gigantic statue of the Goddess of Mercy Guan Yi. This statue made of bronze is 36.5m tall, so prepare to be amazed! The statue is sheltered by a Chinese roof supported by 16 pillars.

The statue is located up the hill behind Kek Lok Si temple, so take that into account when planning how to get there. You can walk there for 3 RM (0.6€) or take the funicular for 16 RM (3.2€). It is not a difficult or long walk, but it is quite steep, so take the funicular if you have doubts. The upside is that it offers great views of Penang! There are also additional structures here, like the Zodiac Garden or the Columbarium.

How to get to Kek Lok Si temple

The Kek Lok Si temple is located in Air Itam, an area at the foothill of Penang Hill. To get there, the easiest option is to use a car hailing app like Grab and have them drive you to any of the stations. If you’re short on time, I suggest you have them drive you directly to the Middle Station and skip the Liberation Pond, since it is the least impressive part of the temple and it requires that you walk quite a bit through the market.

You can also get there with public buses. You can catch a bus from Komtar Bus Station in George Town to Kek Lok Si temple for 2 RM (0.4€). You can take either Rapid Bus 203 or 204. The buses will leave you at the Air Itam market, so you’ll have to walk to the Lower Tier and take the funicular or make your way up through the souvenir market and Liberation Pond, which can take up to 40 minutes.

Schedule and price

Kek Lok Si temple is open every day from 8.30 am to 5.30pm, although they’ll let you stay until 6pm if you’ve entered before.

Visiting the Kek Lok Si temple is technically free, although if you want to fully explore it, you’ll have to pay some small fees to visit some of its most popular sections:

• Kek Lok Si pagoda (Ban Pho Tar) – 2 RM (0.4€)
• Guan Yin Pavilion (walking ticket) – 3 RM (0.6€)
• Guan Yin Pavilion (funicular ride) – 16 RM (3.2€)

Where to eat around the Kek Lok Si temple

Kek Lok Si temple is not a half an hour visit. You’ll pobably spend half a day exploring all the different pagodas, halls and gardens. This means that you’ll probably need to get something to eat before or after your visit (or both!). Luckily, the temple is located next to one of Penang’s most important food makets: Air Itam market! Read about the best places to try local food around Kek Lok Si in the post below:

→ Where to eat near Kek Lok Si temple in Penang

How to Get to Penang

Despite being an island, Penang is very well connected to the rest of Malaysia and even internationally! You can access Penang by car, taxi or bus through the . Another option is to arrive by ferry, either from the nearby Butterworth, which only takes around 10 minutes, or from the island of Langkawi. The latter is a long and arduous trip, so it only happens during the dry season.

Lastly, Penang is home to its own international airport, so there are frequent flights from Malaysian cities like Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi or Ipoh, as well as some international destinations such as Bangkok and Singapore.

Closing statement

Kek Lok Si is an absolute must when visiting Penang. If there is only one thing you can visit, this is it! The sheer immensity of this temple is only rivaled by its beauty. Make sure you have plenty of time to properly explore one of the most beautiful temples in Malaysia, with many prayer rooms, courtyards and pavillions.

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If you’re visiting Penang, I suggest you read my dedicated post on things to do in Penang, as well as the more specific posts that you can get to from it:

→ What to do in Penang, Malaysia: the island of cultural tapestry

And if you’re traveling around Malaysia, I think these posts can be useful!

Kuala Lumpur: discovering the Malaysian capital

Melaka, Malaysia: a Journey through Cultural Heritage

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia: where wild and tamed nature meet

Langkawi, Malaysia’s adventure island

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