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The Goddess Of Mercy (Paloh Khoo Miu) Temple, Ipoh
The Chinese temples and religious associations in Kinta give an indication of the identity and distribution of the Chinese immigrants. Sojourners and settlers of the same dialect tended to cluster together, particularly in the mining kongsis and farms, but in the towns, more inter-dialect interaction was inevitable. To keep the peace it was therefore normal in the early days to establish different temples that worshipped deities common to different groups.
The God of Prosperity and the Goddess of Mercy are typical of these deities and the Kinta River in Ipoh had them both.
This photograph courtesy of Malcolm Wade, shows the Goddess of Mercy Temple near the Birch Bridge, at Brewster Road, New Town. It was also known as the Water Moon Temple (Shui Yueh Kung) and was originally a private temple. It possesses the earliest epigraphic object found in Ipoh, an iron pendant cast at Hsin-cha'ang foundry, dated circa 1890.
It is said that the temple was a favourite spot to give thanks for a safe journey as soon as the immigrants arrived by boat or to pray for a safe trip home before leaving.
To read an article taken from the Ipoh Echo, written by Tan Mei Kuan, entitled A Hidden Gem: Paloh Khoo Miu, go to the eBook link.
To read more about The God of Prosperity Temple, click here.
To read more about the Birch Bridge (later Brewster Road Bridge), click here
To read more about the book ‘Kinta Valley’, click here.