Chin Swee Caves Temple

About

The Chin Swee Caves Temple (清水岩庙, Qīngshuǐ Yán Miào) stands on a steep, forested 28-acre site in the Genting Highlands of Pahang, Malaysia. At about 1,400 metres above sea level, it lies only a few minutes' drive below the resort city at the peak, its tiered red roofs framed by virgin highland forest and views over the winding road that climbs the mountain.

The temple is consecrated to Master Qingshui (Reverend Chin Swee), a Buddhist monk of Fujian Province in China who has long been honoured among the people of Anxi as a deity. He is remembered for his compassionate works and for the miraculous abilities tradition attributes to him — among them the power to summon rain and to subdue malevolent spirits. The temple draws devotees from across Southeast Asia and beyond — from Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, China, Thailand, and Indonesia.

The site combines a traditional Chinese sanctuary with Buddhist elements: a vast Buddha statue rises behind the temple, and the main hall holds the seated image of Master Qingshui, placed in the northern part of the hall facing south in accordance with feng shui. Behind the statue, a natural rock and an artificial flowing stream supply year-round mineral water known locally as 'Dragon Mineral Water'. Some 10,000 blessing lamps were originally installed; around 2,000 remain today.

History

After completing the Genting Highlands Resort in 1975, the late Lim Goh Tong — founder of the Genting Group — turned to a long-cherished personal project: a temple in honour of Master Qingshui, the patron saint of his ancestral village of Penglai in Anxi, Fujian. He gathered friends and clansmen and formed the Chin Swee Temple Society, donating the 28-acre plot himself; a sum of RM 8.1 million was contributed to the building fund by his companies Resorts World Bhd and Genting Berhad. Construction began on terrain so steep that modern machinery could not be used, and foundation holes of 80 to 100 feet had to be excavated by hand. Lim Goh Tong served as planner, architect, designer, contractor, and supervisor; the temple was eighteen years in the making, and no work-related fatalities were reported throughout. It was officially opened on 29 March 1994 by the then Minister of Transport, Ling Liong Sik.