SamPoh temple, located on the south western shore of Penang, has been a target visit for me since I moved to Penang. A few years ago I worked in a humanities department whose head was rather knowledgeable about a man called Zheng He (Cheng Ho). In the early 15th century he is known to have made many very long voyages from China to explore the world. It is confirmed that he sailed as far as east Africa on ships that were many times the size of European explorers of a similar age. Zheng He's first voyage departed 11 July 1405, from Suzhou and consisted of a fleet of 317 ships holding almost 28,000 crewmen. He would make 7 more vogayes before dying sometime in the mid 1400’s. There are a few temples attributed to him in Malaysia, but this one was a bit unique since there is a footprint in the rock there which is supposed to be where he landed. The footprint is rather large and seems like it is carved into the stone.
While being a neat little visit in Penang, this temple is now flanked by a construction site for a new residential/shopping plaza. The rate at which construction is happening in Malaysia is mad and even more so for the disregard for the heritage for the area. Who knows how long this temple will stand there.
1 comment:
Sampoh... Is that like "Little Black Sambo???" haha
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