Malaysia is a colourful country of different cultures and lifestyles, islands and ancient jungles, quaint old towns and swish modern cities. The feather in its cap are the Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest buildings in the world today. The country has a long history and its eclectic mix of cultures – Indian, Chinese, Malay, tribal – makes it an interesting place to visit.

Malaysia is a federation which consists of thirteen states (Negeri) and three federal territories (Wilayah Persekutuan). Eleven states and two federal territories are located on the Malay Peninsula while the remaining two states and one federal territory are on the island of Borneo.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

TRIP to St Anne Church in PENANG

FEELING WANNA TO VISIT AND GET TO KNOW MORE
Be free to contact below mention person

FOR BOOKING PLEASE CALL INOVASI TOUR & TRAVEL
Rajan (60196504595) or Guna (60176764942) or Vera (60122693410)
sarapandian@gmail.com / veeratap@gmail.com
For more details on trip


St Anne Church - The Annual Feast Celebration!

St Anne Church - History

St. Anne history can be trace back since 1833, when there is some Chinese and Indian Catholic followers from Batu Kawan settled in the foothills of Bukit Mertajam. There are actually peasants who had come to clear the land for cultivation.

St Anne Church was started by French missionaries from the Paris Foreign Mission Society that started their missionary work in the Far East as early as the 17th century. The chapel was name St. Anne because she was the most popular among the French missionaries.

Highly regarded as mother of Mary, St. Anne is the
virgin who give birth to Jesus Christ. Many believe that St. Anne have been born around 50 B.C in
either Nazareth or Bethlehem. Catholics believer observe her feast day on 26th July every year. It
is known between 1840 to 1860, the first church to be built in Bukit Mertajam was on top of the hill.
Today, the site of that small chapel is the 15th and final station of the Cross which devotees make in their pilgrimage.

A bigger chapel was built in 1865 to accommodate the congregation that is growing bigger day after
day. It is built just behind the wall of taps of St. Anne water. As the water is filtered by the soil,
this spring water is cleaner and healthier than the tap water.
The historic St. Anne old church was built in 1888 under the leadership of Fr F.P Sorin. He later died in 1907 and was buried at the entrance of the Church. This
Church which is now named "Shrine of St Anne" is the main spot to celebrate of  feast of St. Anne every year.

In the aftermath of the Second World War in 1948, communist activities threatened the political stability of the then Malaya. The grounds of the church were deemed a prohibited area due to communist activities in the surrounding hills. Fearful that the Chinese community in Bukit Mertajam would be sympathetic to the Communist movement, the British Government relocated them to new villages.

The Old Church, located in a "black area", where Communist activities were regarded as strong, became a prohibited area. As the results of this, all church service was conducted at the Convent a distance away. A church building was later erected to serve the relocated congregation and served through out the "Emergency" period for 48 years.

In 1977, Fr Peter Pang became the Parish priest of St Anne's church. He started the move back to the ground of the Old Church, building an altar shed in front of the Old Church. Further restoration was carried out, including the reinstallation of the stained glass and the church bell - there were originally two, but one of them was lost during the Japanese Occupation.
St Anne Church Feast

As the Feast of St. Anne received increasing numbers of followers, it soon became necessary to construct a new and bigger church complex. The new church complex was begun in May 2000, and was dedicated on the St. Anne's Feast Day of 26 July, 2002. This church blends Minangkabau roof design with Gothic architecture to create one of the most imposing structures in Penang. The spacious interior has a seating capacity of more than 1800, easily making it the biggest church ever built in the northern region of Malaysia. The tiny fragment measuring about 3mm is house within a golden monstrance placed near the altar. Pilgrims old and new will always make an effort to catch a glimpse of this relic, surely one of the holiest to be found
in the Catholic faith.

Today, this church is not only well known in Malaysia but also all over the world. St Anne Church annual feast that draw hundreds of thousand of pilgrims is nothing short of amazement. The large crowd that came to the feast is the testament that St. Anne church is no doubt one of the amazing discoveries in Penang. At the
annual feast, the 188 year old church play host to pilgrims comprises Catholics and also non Christians praying for health and blessings. Many who came here fulfilled their vows by lighting candles, offering flowers and attending mass and novenas.

It is such a wonderful event filled with excitement and joy that showcase the unity of people from every part of the world. Pilgrims bathed in a sparkling sea of light took part in a candlelight procession. They came from not only from Malaysia but from Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India, Australia, New
Zealand and even from as far away as Europe. This marks the important day for pilgrims to the thank her for countless prayers answers and petitions granted.

Most of the road near the church will be closed and police personnel will be mobilize to divert the traffic during this period. My advice to you is that, try to come with transport that has been prearranged for you (eg. buses) as traffic will be chaos and the parking fees is very expensive.

There will be no problem finding the church once you reach Bukit Mertajam. Just follow where the crowd goes and I guaranteed that you can't go wrong. I've provided a map below, just in case you ever need one.

One thing to note is that if you're to come together with your children, make sure that they are within your reach to prevent any untoward incident. You do not need to bring any candles or flowers with you when visiting St. Anne as plenty will be on sale here. Temporary stall at the church compound are set up to sell flowers, candles, T shirt and many others memorable. Some of the stall performs magic show as well as art exhibition.

Normally the St Anne Church celebration is organized on the last weeks of July every year (20th ~ 31st). Remember to return back to this website to find out what is the actual date for the St. Anne celebration. And if you like to book your hotels or transportation, you can always do it here!






INFORMATION ON THE YEARLY CELEBRATION


Opens 7 days a week. The 9 days annual St. Anne Feast will be held on the last week of July.
ENTRANCE Free
GETTING THERE
St Anne Church is located in a town at the mainland called Bukit Mertajam. It's 
about 40 ~ 45 minute drive if you come Georgetown. Our buses are available to 
bring you here. Refer to the contact person above.





share by sarapandian.blogspot.com

Friday, March 11, 2011

Kuala Lumpur City Tour


FEELING WANNA TO VISIT AND GET TO KNOW MORE
Be free to contact below mention person
MR RAJAN (+6 0196504595)
For more details on trip



ITINERARY


Kuala Lumpur, with a character of its own, is known for its colorful cultures, races and traditions. The city owns interesting architecture, landmarks and unique handicrafts. The oriental and colonial part of the city with its interesting styles of Moorish, Arabian and Oriental buildings, traditional temples and mosques are worth admiring.


* PETRONAS Twin Tower (Photo Stop) & visiting the Sky bridge for an hour


* Craff Complex


* Leather Outlet


* Chocolate Boutique


* King's Palace (Photo Stop)


* Thean Hou Buddhist Temple


* National Museum (Photo Stop)


* Old Railway Station (Photo Stop)


* National Mosque (Photo Stop)


* Merdeka Square / Sultan Abdul Samad Building / Cathedra Of Saint Mary The Virgin


* Parliament ( Photo Stop )


* National Monument


















Additional Tour


“BATU CAVES” or “PUTRAJAYA” or “BLUE MOSQUE(Shah Alam)” or “KL TOWER or
“KL BIRD PARK & BUTTERFLY PARK”


•All Entrance tickets not included

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Lucky Wild Boars (Pigs) at Indian Temple in Taiping a new tourist attraction

FEELING WANNA TO VISIT AND GET TO KNOW MORE
FOR BOOKING PLEASE CALL INOVASI TOUR & TRAVEL
Rajan (60196504595) or Sara (60123611880)
sarapandian@gmail.com / veeratap@gmail.com
For more details on trip




Photos and Story about the Temple



Touching the wild boars for good luck:
Big crowd of visitors waiting behind the wooden barricade erected at the temple area for the wild boars to turn up.

Waiting patiently. Everyone comes to the temple for good luck. The white building on the left in the background is the Om Sakthi Sri Jada Muneesvarar Alayam Indian temple. The temple has gained the name Lucky Wild Boar Temple because the wild boars have brought good luck to people who touched them and seek their blessings.
The wild boars turn up from the secondary jungle in the hills.


Only two boars for now... but don't despair as more will come soon.
More wild boars turn up at the barricade area to the excitement of the crowd.
The crowd stretching out their hands through the wooden barricade to feed and touch the wild boars.
Pushing and shoving to get near the boar.
Some visitors have numbers written on pieces of paper and rub them against the boar.
As darkness falls, more wild boars turn up when they hear the sounds of the temple bell which is rung in the evening about 7.00 pm.
The wild boars do not move away with the excitement caused by the crowd of visitors.
The loud noises and hand movements from the crowd do not frighten the wild boars which seems to like the attention given.
The visitors just want to feed and touch the wild boars for good luck.


A visitor feeding a wild boar with rice provided by the temple.


The wild boars allow visitors to touch them.
Some lucky visitors managed to rub ringgit notes against the boars.
Getting close to the wild boars with bare hands.

These two women happily touching the wild boars with bare hands for good luck.


Visitors giving the boar a stroke on its bristly body.
Visitors hand-feeding the wild boars.
Visitors rubbing four-digit number on the boar’s body to have better chances to strike it big.




Prayer at the holy temple:


Long queue of devotees waiting in line to offer prayer to Lord Muneesvarar, also known as the God of Warrior.
Devotees offer prayer with lighted joss-sticks, lotus-shaped candles and flowers.
A stall in the temple compound selling flowers and prayer items.
Crowd of devotees and visitors mingling around. The white building on the left in the background is the Om Sakthi Sri Jada Muneesvarar Alayam temple.
The night scene at the temple compound with bigger crowd of devotees and visitors.
The Om Sakthi Sri Jada Muneesvarar Alayam Indian temple located at the foothill behind Tesco Taiping hypermarket in Kamunting, Taiping, Perak is drawing big crowd of visitors and tourists daily since words spread that many had struck rich winning four-digit numbers (lottery) after touching or stroking the wild boars that turned up at the temple grounds from the secondary jungle in the hills to feed on rice food prepared by temple volunteers.

The temple has gained the name Lucky Wild Boar Temple because the wild boars have brought good luck to people who touched them and seek their blessings.

The main deity at the Om Sakthi Sri Jada Muneesvarar Alayam temple is Lord Muneesvarar also known as the God of Warrior who rides a horse. It is said that the wild boars at the temple belonged to Lord Muneesvarar. Protected by Lord Muneesvarar, the wild boars are said to have special powers to bring good luck to those who seek its blessings. Strangely the wild boars do not look aggressive and allow visitors to caress or stroke its bodies.

When I arrived at the temple about 6.00 pm on Saturday 2nd May, there was a carnival-like atmosphere with stalls selling an assortment of Indian delicacies, flowers and prayer items. Two men wearing light green reflective jackets were seen directing vehicles to open parking space. A woman was spotted canvassing for donation to a charitable organization.

A long line of about 50 devotees was already forming to offer prayers to Lord Muneesvarar and the queue gets longer by the minutes.

At the barricade erected to separate the wild boars and the visitors, there was already a crowd of about 300 people waiting patiently for the wild boars to turn up from the secondary jungle in the hills. It was a scene of frenzied activity when the first few wild boars appeared and followed later by a bigger herd.
The crowd is seen pushing, shoving and stretching out their hands through the wooden barricade with many either holding pieces of white paper with numbers written on it; or ringgit notes of value RM1, RM5 or RM10 denomination; or lottery tickets such as 4-D/Da Ma Cai/Toto and using them to rub against the wild boars. Some even use bare hands to touch and rub the body. The wild boars seem to enjoy all the attention given to them.

By 7.30 pm it was already dark and the crowd had swelled into more than a thousand people as more wild boars about 40 - 50 of them turned up to be fed after hearing the sounds of the temple bell which is rung every evening. So I guess its dinner time for the wild boars when they hear the temple bell sounds! The temple and barricade area is lighted up with fluorescent lamps.


How It Began:
According to a local resident, the phenomenon started a few years ago when a local Chinese electrician carried out some electrical work at the isolated temple. He stroked the wild boars and won numerous four-digit number prizes. With the prize money he had won and saved, he donated RM5,000 to the temple.
At that time there was hardly any visitor except for those who came to pray at the temple. On hearing this, many local Taiping residents who came to touch the wild boar for good luck also reported to have strike it big. Soon words spread like wild fire with visitors from as far as Thailand and Singapore thronging the temple daily in hundreds and could swell into thousands on weekends and public holidays.

Unpleasant Incidents:A local resident reminded visitors to the temple to behave themselves and respect the sanctity of the holy temple and the wild boars! It is said that the wild boars at the temple belonged to Lord Muneesvarar. So a word of caution is: Do not disturb the wild boars at the temple.

She recalled an incident where a visitor suddenly sprawled on the ground with his four limbs and uttered a high-pitched cry, as if crying, and behaved with characteristic of pigs after beating the wild boar. He uttered strange sounds that nobody could understand. Fortunately he recovered quickly and was back to his normal self standing on his two feet after offering prayer of apology and forgiveness to the temple God.

She also recalled of a man who suddenly became seriously ill and vomited blood after he took home a young wild boar without permission from the temple. Miraculously he recovered with a clean bill of health after returning the animal.


with regards Sara Pandian

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Cameron Highlands for leisure/business - APARTMENT AVAILABLE FOR RENT

Dear Friends,

If you are planning to visit Cameron Highlands for leisure/business and need a nice & convenient place to stay, kindly contact me at 012-2102558 (Dinesh).

Details of the apartment is as follows: 

* Fully furnished apartment, 3 nice bedroom, located in a convenient corner of  Tanah Rata, with comfortable accommodation. 

* The apartment also comes with  Astro TV programs, cooking facilities, a refrigerator & heaters installed in bathrooms. 

* You can park up to 4 cars. 
* The apartment can be rented on a short term or a long-term basis.
* The apartment is reasonably priced although it comes with a convenient of a hotel room.
* This apartment is 1 hour from Simpang Pulai Ipoh and located near famous tourist attractions of Cameron 



Highlands such as : -

- 5 minutes walk from Tanah Rata town center. 
- 20 minutes from Blue Valley Farm
- 10 minutes from Butterfly & Strawberry
- 15 minutes from Boh Tea Estate / Factory
- 10 minutes drive from Brinchang. 
- 15 minutes drive from Kea Farm.

*Some pictures of the apartment have been attached for your viewing.

You can also mail me at dinesh_info@ ymail.com should you require more details or would like to do a booking. 

We also have promotional rates for school holidays, so, dont miss it !! 

Best Regards,
Dinesh
012-210 2558

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