Image: 'Glass temple' draws devotees

A Hindu temple, which has been embellished with coloured glass pieces, has been attracting thousands of devotees in Malaysia.

More than 30,000 devotees thronged the Arulmigu Sri Raja Kaliamman Temple better known as the "glass temple" in Johor, whose structure is 90 per cent made of glass.

The 87-year-old temple, which has recently undergone a massive renovation, is set for official opening on October 25. Temple president S Sinathambhy said the design was conceptualised when he saw a shimmering object while travelling in an autorickshaw in Bangkok.

The "light" turned out to be a Buddhist temple that had had a piece of glasswork at its entrance, he said.

Inspired by it, Sinathambhy expanded on the idea to build a temple that would be fully embellished with coloured glass.

Around 3,00,000 pieces of glasses, consisting in blue, red, yellow, green, purple and white colours, adorn the temple.

A local politician said he had urged the state tourism board to include the temple as a major tourist attraction. So far, the state government has contributed more than 10 lakh ringgit towards the renovation of the temple.

Image: A coloured glass gopuram