histoy 3 lecture 4

8/2/2019 Histoy 3 Lecture 4

1/93

Malaysia: The Melting Pot of

Architecture

CULTURE & RELIGIOUS ARCHITECTURE OF MULTI RACIAL COMMUNITY INMALAYSIA

Lecture by Sukhjit KaurSidhu


2/93

Lecture

Outline1. Finding Faces in the Crowd2. Religions 1013. Religion + Architecture

4. Bringing in Variety


3/93

The Colours of

Malaysia: Finding Faces inthe Crowd


4/93

The Chinese Communities

The Chinese immigrants

were from southern

provinces of China, mainlyFujian and Guandong.

Have been settling in

Malaysia for many

centuries, but a peak has

been seen during the 19th

century through trading

and tin-mining.

When they first arrived,

the Chinese often worked

the most grueling jobs like

tin mining and railway

construction.

Later, some of them

owned businesses.

Most Chinese are TaoBuddhist.


5/93

The Communities fromIndia The Indian community in

Malaysia can be made out of

Tamils, Malayalees, Telegu-speaking people, Punjabis,

Gujeratis, Sindhis and Sri

Lankan (Ceylonese).


6/93

The Communities fromIndia Indians first came to Malaya for barter trade.

However, when India came under British rule, South Indian labourers were sent toMalaya to work on sugar cane and coffee plantations and later in the rubber and oil

palm estates.

Some South Indians also came to work on the construction of buildings, roads and

bridges.

Ceylonese came to Malaya as white-collar workers, holding jobs like clerks andhospital assistants.

Punjabis joined the army and police in Malaya, and some handled the bullock-cart

services in the country.


7/93

Religions101


8/93

Buddhism

a religion and philosophy encompassing

a variety of traditions, beliefs and

practices, largely based on teachingsattributed to Siddhartha Gautama,

commonly known as the Buddha

Buddha lived and taught in the

northeastern Indian subcontinent

sometime between the 6th and 4th

centuries BCE.

He is recognized by adherents as an

awakened teacher who shared his insights

to help sentient beings end suffering,

achieve nirvana, and escape what is seen

as a cycle of suffering and rebirth.


9/93

Buddhism

To thrive in China, Buddhism had to

transform itself into a system that could

exist within the Chinese way of life.

Thus highly regarded Indian sutras that

advocated filial piety became core texts

in China.

Buddhism was made compatible with

ancestor worship and participation inChina's hierarchical system


10/93

Hinduism

Hinduism is often called the oldest living

religion created during Indias Iron Age.

Prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include

(but are not restricted to), Dharma

(ethics/duties), Samsara(The continuing cycle

of birth, life, death and rebirth), Karma(action

and subsequent reaction), Moksha(liberation

from samsara), and the various Yogas(paths or

practices).

Hindu practices generally involve seeking

awareness of God and sometimes also seeking

blessings from Devas.


11/93

Hinduism

Hindus can engage in pj (worship or

veneration), either at home or at a temple.

At home, Hindus often create a shrine

with icons dedicated to their chosen form

of God.

Temples are usually dedicated to a

primary deity along with associated

subordinate deities though somecommemorate multiple deities.

Visiting temples is not obligatory, and

many visit temples only during religious

festivals.

Hindus perform their worship throughicons (murtis). The icon serves as a

tangible link between the worshiper and

God. The image is often considered a

manifestation of God, since God is

immanent.


12/93

Confucianism

a Chinese ethical and

philosophical system developed

from the teachings of the Chinesephilosopher Confucius.

It is a complex system of moral,

social, political, philosophical, and

quasi-religious thought that has

had tremendous influence on theculture and history of East Asia.

In Confucianism, human beings

are teachable, improvable and

perfectible through personal and

communal endeavor including

self-creation.

A main idea of Confucianism is

the cultivation of virtue and the

development of moral perfection.


13/93

Taoism

refers to a variety of related philosophical and

religious traditions.

Taoist propriety and ethics emphasize the

Three Jewels of the Tao: compassion,

moderation and humility.

while Taoist thought generally focuses on

nature, the relationship between humanity and

the cosmos, health and longevity, and wu wei(action through inaction), which is thought to

produce harmony with the universe.

Organized Taoism distinguishes its ritual

activity from that of the folk religion, which

some professional Taoists (Daoshi) view asdebased.


14/93

Chinese Folk Religion

a collective label given to various

folkloric beliefs that draw heavily

from Chinese mythology.

It comprises the religion

practiced in much of China for

thousands of years, which

included ancestor worship and

drew heavily upon concepts andbeings within Chinese mythology.

Chinese folk religion is

composed of a combination of

religious practices, including

Confucianist ceremonies,

ancestor worship, Buddhism and

Taoism.

There are hundreds of gods and

goddess as well as saints,"

immortals and demigods.


15/93

Sikhism

founded in 15th century Punjab on

the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and

ten successive Sikh Gurus the lastGuru being the sacred text Guru

Granth Sahib)

The essence of Sikh teachings is

summed up by Guru Nanak in these

words: Realization of Truth is higherthan all else. Higher still is truthful

living.

In Sikhism, God (Waheguru) is

shapeless, timeless, omnipresent in

all creation and visible everywhere

to the spritually awakened.


16/93

Sikhism

Not founded on a final destination of heaven and

hell, but on a spiritual union with God which results

in salvation.

The chief obstacles to the attainment of salvation

are social conflicts and an attachment to worldly

pursuits, which commit men and women to an

endless cycle of birtha concept known as

reincarnation. a Sikh should balance work, worship, and charity,

and should defend the rights of all creatures, and in

particular, fellow human beings.

They are encouraged to have a chardi kala, or

optimistic, view of life.

Sikh teachings also stress the concept of sharing

vand chakko- through the distribution of free

food at Sikh gurdwaras (langar), giving charitable

donations, and working for the good of the

community and others (sv).


17/93

Religion +Architectur

e


18/93

Chinese Temples

The Chinese immigrant builders

and craftsmen who came toMalaysia built temples according

to the architectural traditions to

the Southern provinces of China.

Initially, the shrines to house

their gods or spirit guides werehumbled thatched structures.

Later on, more elaborate

temples, dedicated to deities of

Taoist, Buddhist and folk beliefs

as well as ancestor worship were

built.

The oldest temple in Malaysia,

the Cheng Hoon Teng in Melaka, is

reputed to have been built in 1645.

Introduction


19/93

Chinese Temples

Chinese architectural principles

in both domestic and religious

buildings are basically the same that every aspect of life is

closely related to nature.

This is expressed symbolically

in terms of design and colour

roofs of temples may resemblethe shapes of waves, referred to

as cats crawling, and of swallow

and fish tails.

The five elements that represent

the world, and their

corresponding five colours

wood (green), earth (yellow),

metal (white), water (black), and

fire (red) are also ascribed a

special place in a temple building

to ensure the auspiciousness and

totality of the entire structure.

Design Themes and Symbolism


20/93

Chinese Temples

The structure of a temple can be

divided from floor to roof into

lower, middle and upper sections.

Traditional Methods of Construction

Lower Section

- Lower platform, or base

plinth of stonework.

Middle Section

- The pillars, which carry

the weight of the roof via atruss system.

Upper Section

- The truss system of

wooden brackets, which

supports the cross beamand the weight of the roof.


21/93

Chinese Temples


22/93

Chinese Temples

A distinctive feature of a Chinese

temple is its exposed structural

elements which allow air tocirculate in halls that are filled

with smoke from joss sticks.

The massive beams are also a

testimony to the carpentry skills

of the master builders.

Traditional Methods of Construction


23/93

Chinese Temples

The basic layout of a Chinese

temple reveals formal regularity

and rigid symmetry.

The four local styles Hokkien,

Cantonese, Teochew and Hakka

represent clan or dialect

differences.

Although the progression of thelayout may appear to move along

an axis from front to back, the

temple in fact extends sideways

from the main prayer hall housing

the principal deity.

Layout Conventions


24/93

Chinese Temples

The front pavillion is an open

sided structure which provides

protection from the elementswhen the prayers are being

offered to the gods.

The first hall serves as a

reception area, leading to a

courtyard or an entrance hall,before the main alter hall is

approached.

The effect of the elongated

structure is to lead the

worshipper ever deeper into the

sanctuary until the most

venerated shrine of the structure

is reached.

Layout Conventions


25/93

Chinese Temples

Cantonese Temples

The main halls have rigid square

columns.

Often a pair of majestic

octagonal columns carved with

an intricate assemblage of lions,

dragons and serpents are used in

the main hall, the loftiest in thetemple.

distinguished by higher

proportions than the other

southern temples.

Roof ridges are straight and

horizontal and the brickwork is

usually painted and plastered.

Features of a temple


26/93

Chinese Temples

Cantonese Temples

Has ornate wooden or concrete

tie beam, installed between

pillars, that acts as intermediate

bracing.

The approach to the building is

generally more rigid and the front

prayer pavillion is ofteneliminated.

Ornamentation in the temple

usually consists of clay figurines

and carvings on brick walls.



27/93

Chinese Temples

Hokkien & Teochew Temples

closest in form and ornamentation to

the Teochew temple,

The main difference being that the

latter have flatter proportions and less

pronounced roof pitches.

The Hokkien temple is more ornate,with widely curving roof ridges.

Both use flamboyant porcelain cut

and paste shard work known as chien

nien.

The hokkiens also favour exposed redbrickwork while the Teochew prefer

plastered walls painted white or

limewashed yellow.



28/93

Chinese Temples

Hakka Temples

have resemblance to Hokkien

temples but with less ornamentation.

The front pavillion is often part of the

first hall.

Prefer exposed brickwork.



29/93

Chinese Temples


30/93

Hindu Temple

The 17,000 or more Hindu temples and shrines scattered around the

country not only range from simple roadside shrines dedicated to folk and

tutelary deities to large temples dedicated to agamic gods and

goddessses but also reflect the diverse religious practises within the

Hindu religion and other subethnic divisions based on caste, area of origin

in India and community grouping.

As most Malaysian Hindus are of Southern Indian descent, the majority of

Hindu temples in Malaysia are built according to the South Indian tradition.

Introduction


31/93

Hindu Temple

Temple building in Malaysia beganwith the settlement of a few Hindu

Indian traders in Melaka in the 15th

century, but it was not until the British

colonialism that the process of temple

building accelerated.

Due to the migration of South Indiansto rubber plantations in Malaysia, by far

the largest of Hindu temples and

shrines, are still to be found in

plantations and urban enclaves.

These temples mostly comprised tin-roofed sheds, which were subsequently

enlarged or renovated.

The images venerated in these

temples were usually ordered speically

from India.

Temple roots

i d l


32/93

Hindu Temple

The agamic temples, on the other hand, which are related to higher level Hinduism and use

Sanskrit as their ritual language, tended to be located in the urban centres where trades andmiddle class Indians settled.

Temple roots

i d l


33/93

Hindu Temple

Since the time of the Melakan Sultanate in the 15thcentury, there has been a small but thriving Indian

community in Melaka called Chitties by the local

population because of their involvement in trade.

Most of them live in the Indian enclave of Kampung

Kling in Melaka, where all the important Chitti

tempels are located.

Although agamic in principle, the Chitties temples

are plainer than the mainstream South Indian

temples.

The Melaka Chitties and their temples

Hi d T l


34/93

Hindu Temple

The Chettiar are an Indian

community known for their

devotion to the Hindu deityMuruganand for their zeal in

temple building.

Unlike the immigrant Indian

workers, the Chettiar

community is largely madeup of wealthy traders and

moneylenders.

Only the best teak wood from

Chettiar sawmills in Burma

was used for the

superstructure.

One of the best known

Chettiar temples in Malaysia

is the Nattukottai Temple in

Penang.

Chettiar temple

Hi d T l


35/93

Hindu Temple

The main concentrations of

another small subethnic group,

the Patthars or goldsmiths, arein Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

Their most prominent temple

dedicated to the personal deity

of the Patthar caste, Sri

Kamatchi Amman, is located in

Jalan Dato Keramat in Penang.

This ornate temple occupies

two shophouses lots which

protrude into the streets.

Originally built in 1914 as a

simple shed, in 1923 two

shophouse lots near the place

where most Patthars had their

business establishments were

acquired by the caste elders for

the new temple.

The Patthar Temple

Hi d T l


36/93

Hindu Temple

The first settlements, or quarters, for the Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) Tamilrailway staff, civil servants and others who came to Malaysia were

developed close to the railways stations in the Brickfield area in Kuala

Lumpur, and nearby along Scott Road.

Here, the first Hindu temple, the famous and highly ornate Sri Kandasamy

Temple, was established in 1902 in Scott Road.

The Sri Lankan Tamil temples

Hi d T l


37/93

Hindu Temple

Hi d T l


38/93

Hindu Temple

The Hindu temple is constructed to resemble the form of a human body lying on its back

with the head of the temple positioned towards the west and the feet towards the east.

The structure of a temple

Hi d T l


39/93

Hindu Temple

The Sri Markendeshvarar in Penang is a fine example of a South Indian-style temple.

It is a male temple dedicated to the Lord Shiva.

The structure of a temple

Hi d T l


40/93

Hindu Temple

Sikh T l G d


41/93

Sikh Temple - Gurdwara

Gurdwara literally means Gurus abode/house.

Sikhism, has no room for symbolism or ritualism; Sikhs have neither idols nor altars intheir Gurdwara.

The essential feature of a gurdwara is the presiding presence in it of the holy Sikh

Scripture, called the Guru Granth Sahib.

The first Guru, called upon his followers to establish gurdwaras and congregate in them

to repeat Gods Name, and to recite His praise.

Introduction

Sikh Temple Gurdwara


42/93




43/93


A Gurdwara is identified by the following five basic features:-

1. Darbar Sahib A hall that houses the Guru (the Guru Granth Sahib). This hall in mostmodern temples is large and will house many hundreds of visitors.

Basic Features



44/93


2. Nishan Sahib a triangular

orange flag with a Khalsa

emblem in the middlecalled the Khanda. It serves

as an Khalsa icon for the

Gurus abode.

Basic Features



45/93


3. Pangat Free community kitchen. It is part of a building complex where communal

meals are served.

Basic Features



46/93




47/93


4. Palki Sahib The Gurus throne is

always centered at the front of

the Darbar Hall, it is the centralfeature of the Gurdwara. The Guru

is covered in cloth and placed on

a punjabi bed.

Basic Features



48/93


5. Golak

refers to asystematic

& formal

financial

system in

the custody

of Guru

Granth

Sahib.

Basic Features



49/93

Sikh Temple - GurdwaraThe architecture

Unlike other places of

worship, gurdwarabuildings do not have to

conform to any set

architectural design.

However, many

gurdwaras imitate theGurdwara style in India

that are mainly inspired

by Mughal Architecture.

Most gurdwaras have

square halls, stand on a

higher plinth, haveentrances on all four

sides and have square or

octagonal domed

sanctums in the middle.



50/93

Sikh Temple - GurdwaraGurdwaras in Malaysia

With the migration of Sikhs into Malaysia, the early Gurdwaras were built by the police.

These structures were earlier built using thatch roofs and were wooden.

However, many were upgraded to zink or tile roofs and upgraded to concrete

structures.


51/93

Bringing

In Variety

Chinese Construction + Feng Shui


52/93


To people of Chinese origin in

Malaysia and elsewhere, feng

shui is a combination of mystical

beliefs, astrology, folklore and

common sense that has a bearing

on their daily lives.

Evolving some 4,000 years ago

in China from the observation that

people are affected, for good or ill,

by their surroundings, feng shui

advocates living in harmony with

the earths environment and itsenergy lines so that there is a

balance between the forces of

nature.

Introduction

Kek Lok Temple, Penang



53/93


Feng shui, which literally means wind and water, refers to the location and shape of

mountains and valleys and the direction of watercourses.

The practice of feng shui is concerned with harnessing auspicious energy lines, known

as qi or dragons breath, and avoiding or combating inauspicious energy lines, popularly

known as killing breath or poison arrows.

The inauspicious energy lines are caused by the presence of sharp, pointed objects or

structures that channel bad feng shui, such as straight roads, steeply angled roofs or the

edges of tall buildings.

What is feng shui?



54/93

Chinese Construction + Feng ShuiWhat is feng shui?

Feng shui practitioners

believe that people will live

in harmony with their

environment if the shape and

orientation of their house

site, as well as the actual

shape of the house, follow

feng shui principles.



55/93

Chinese Construction + Feng ShuiFeng Shui application in the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion



56/93


When Cheong Fatt Tze, a

prominent overseas Chinese

businessman and mandarin,

built his 38-room Chinese

courtyard mansion in Leith

Street, Georgetown, towards

the end of the 19th century, he

would have consulted the

most enlightened feng shui

master of the day.



57/93


The main door of themansion was aligned to face

south-southeast, with the

hills at the back and the sea

in front.



58/93


Rainwater falling on

the roofs around the

central courtyard was

collected via two

downpipes encased in

the west and east walls

and allowed to

accumulate in the

sunken, granite slab-

lined courtyard.

The back of the house

was raised higher than

the front to create a

sense of ascendancy.



59/93


The building ispainted blue, a

colour widely

used on

buildings in

Peninsular

Malaysia in the

19th and early

20th centuries.



60/93


The four red columns on the first floor balcony denote the original owners high rank.

Chinese Clan Houses


61/93

Chinese Clan Houses

Chinese immigrants

arriving on unfamiliar

territory, they were

drawn to fellow

countrymen who shared

a common background

or who came from the

same ancestral village.

Out of their need

support grew the clan

associations known

locally as kongsi,derived from two

Chinese words meaning

to share or a shared

company.

Introduction

Chinese Clan Houses


62/93

Chinese Clan Houses

The kongsi house served as a dormitory, employment

agency, meeting place, bank and social welfare source.

The kongsi was also a promoter of education whose

members placed great value on academic learning.

Attached to the kongsi house was usually a temple and a

prayer hall for housing ancestral tablets.

The undisputed leaders of goh tai seng(the five major

surnames) the Khoos, Tans, Yeohs, Cheahs and Lims held

control over the southern Chinese community.

Each set out to build kongsi houses that would adequatelyreflect their lineage.

A support system

Chinese Clan Houses


63/93

Chinese Clan Houses

The most notable example of traditional clan house architecture in the Straits

Settlements can be found in the Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi in Cannon Square, Penang.

In 1852, 102 descendants of Khoo Chian Eng of Hai Teng district, Fujian Province, China,

bought a large plot of land in Georgetown, Penang, and established a kongsi.

Reputed to have cost over 100,000 Straits dollars, it was a masterpiece of Minnan

architecture of the late Ching Dynasty.

Kongsi architecture

Chinese Clan Houses


64/93

Chinese Clan Houses

The Khoo Kongsi complex revolves

around the granite-paved Cannon Square ,

co-called because of a large hole made by

a cannon fired by the British during the

Penang Riots of 1867.

Kongsi architecture

Chinese Clan Houses


65/93

Chinese Clan Houses

It includes a temple, an administartive

building, a traditional Chinese theatre for

staging opera, and rows of 19th century

houses. Guarded gateways, passageways

and narrow approaches are typical features

of the complex.

Kongsi architecture

Chinese Clan Houses


66/93

Chinese Clan HousesKongsi architecture

Chinese Clan Houses


67/93

Chinese Clan HousesKongsi architecture

The Chinese Shophouses


68/93

e C ese S op ouses

The commercial centre of every Malaysian town before WW2 was characterized by one or more

main streets lined with shophouses, usually 2 storeys high, with the lower floor used for trading

and the upper floor for residential purposes.

The emergence of this urban building type can be traced to the influx of Chinese immigrants

from the densely populated southern coastal provinces of China in the 19th century until WW2.

They brought with them both knowledge and methods of house construction which they then

adapted to the Malaysian urban shophouses.

By the early 20th century, this urban form was to spread to every major town in the country.

Introduction



69/93

p



70/93

p



71/93

p

Characteristics

Long & Narrow plan

Punctuated by internal courtyards or airwells that bring in light and ventilation to the centre of

the building

5 foot walkway

narrow street frontage (typically 6 metres)

depth (average 25m)

symmetrical facade

material brick & mortar



72/93

p



73/93

p



74/93

p



75/93

p



76/93

p



77/93

p



78/93

The Malayan Bungalow


79/93

Although the word bungalow

originates from the modest

Bengal house a timber

structure with a thatched roof

and a veranda built on the

ground the bungalow inMalaysia refers to a much more

substantial detached house.

The typical Malayan bungalow

emerged as a karge, airy,

detached, two-storey houseconstructed of timber or brick.

Introduction



80/93



81/93



82/93



83/93



84/93



85/93

Villas + Mansions


86/93

The late 19th and early 20thcentury private residences of the wealthy Chinese are among

the most spectacular buildings in Malaysian cities. They are eye-catching for their sheer ostentation and for the ways in which they

combined European classical forms and styles with traditional Chinese house plans and

motifs.

Introduction

Villas + Mansions


87/93

Villas + Mansions


88/93

Villas + Mansions


89/93

Villas + Mansions


90/93

Villas + Mansions


91/93

Villas + Mansions


92/93


93/93

End

histoy 3 lecture 4

Documents