Page 159 - The Guide To Sarawak

THE GUIDE TO SARAWAK
157
Places of Worship
Sarawak is a place of
great religious tolerance
and diversity, with over 2,000 places of worship
for a population of just
over 2 million. Many rural priests travel hundreds of kilometres every weekend to hold services in dozens of small churches and chapels. Some of the more notable places of worship are listed below.
KUCHING DIVISION
MOSQUES
MASJID BAHAGIAN KUCHING
Jalan Masjid
The Kuching Divisional Mosque, formerly the Sarawak State Mosque,
is one of the city’s most striking landmarks, its gilded cupolas dominating the old City Centre. It was built in 1968 on the site of an old 19th Century wooden mosque and is enclosed by a tranquil cemetery.
MASJID INDIA
Jalan Gambier
Tucked away between Jalan Gambier and Jalan India, the Indian Mosque is the oldest intact mosque in Sarawak, dating from 1837. Unusually, the call to prayer is accompanied by a huge drum, the bedok, which was also used as an alarm signal in the 19th Century.
SARAWAK STATE MOSQUE (MASJID JAMEK NEGERI SARAWAK)
Jalan Tun Abdul Rahman, Petra Jaya
The Sarawak State Mosque was opened in 1990 and features a single domed cupola clad in patterned blue tiles, a hand-carved Italian marble interior, and a 99-metre minaret. The mosque was extended in
1997 and can now hold 11,000 faithful at prayer times.
CHURCHES
CATHOLIC MEMORIAL & PILGRIMAGE CENTRE Kampung Singai, Bau Located in a beautiful hilltop setting at the end
of a 30-minute climb,
this centre includes a
small chapel, an open-air auditorium, meeting rooms and accommodation for pilgrimages and religious retreats. It is built on the site of a 19th Century church and convent.
ST JAMES CHURCH (ANGLICAN)
Kampong Kuap
The oldest intact church
in Sarawak, St James is
one of a number of pre- fabricated wooden churches built in Kuching and was transported by river to
its home parish. It was consecrated in 1865 and has remained in continuous use to this day.
ST JOSEPH’S CATHEDRAL (RC)
Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg This modern cathedral has a remarkable roof constructed entirely from belian (Borneo ironwood) and is decked with belian shingles. It
was consecrated in 1969, and became the seat of the Archbishop when the Archdiocese of
Kuching was formed in 1976. T (082) 423 424
ST THOMAS’ CATHEDRAL (ANGLICAN) Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg
The original wood and stone St Thomas’ Cathedral was the first church in Kuching,
consecrated in 1852. It was replaced by the current cathedral in 1956 and is the seat of the Diocese of Kuching, responsible for Anglicans in Sarawak and Brunei Darussalam.
T (082) 240 187
HINDU TEMPLES
MOUNT MATANG MAHA MARIAMMAN TEMPLE Jalan Matang
The oldest Hindu temple
in Sarawak was built in the late 19th Century by Tamil plantation workers from the Matang Coffee Estate. It fell into disuse after 1912 but was partially restored in 1970. It has recently been fully restored and was re- consecrated in June 2011.
SRI MAHA
MARIAMMAN TEMPLE Jalan Rock
This fine Hindu temple
was completed in 1991 and houses the bronze Goddess of Mercy statue originally taken from the Mount Matang Temple (see above) in 1912.
SRI SRINIVASAGAR KALIAMMAN TEMPLE Jalan Ban Hock, at the junction with Jalan Song Thian Cheok.
This Hindu temple is the organiser of the annual Thaipusam procession, which starts at the banks of the Sarawak River, and ends
The Sri Srinivasagar Kaliamman Temple in Kuching. Tran- quil most of the week, it comes alive with the chanting of Bhajans (Hindu devotional songs) on Friday evenings.