Sam Poh Buddhist Temple

MALAYSIA, Pahang, Cameron Highlands

Sam Poh means Triple Gem and the temple is officially titled Sam Poh Wan Futt Chi, or Temple of the Triple Gem and Ten Thousand Buddhas. It is located on a hill overlooking Brinchang in the Cameron Highlands. The temple was founded in 1945 by Xueshan, a monk from Beeh Low See Buddhist Temple in Singapore. The temple underwent expansion and reconstruction in 1964. As the refurbished Great Hero Hall contains ten thousand images of Sakyamuni Buddha on its walls, the temple was given its new official name.
The temple occupies an area of approximately 12 ha. The main structures along the central axis include the main temple gates, Heavenly King Hall, Great Hero Hall, and Cundi Hall, while the bell and drum towers and the Dharma Wheel Library are on the sides. The temple can be entered through three ornate gateways and is otherwise surrounded by walls. The Great Hero Hall has a double-eave hip-and-gable roof and houses the Avatamsaka Buddha Triad, which consists of Vairocana Buddha flanked by Manjusri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas. The Cundi Hall is four stories high with the first story dedicated to Cundi Bodhisattva. The east side of the hall contains the Amitabha Buddha Triad, while the west houses Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. On the upper stories of the Cundi Hall are the memorials for the founder Xueshan and former abbot Yanben. The latter’s extensive collection of many different editions of the Buddhist Canon is housed in the Dharma Wheel Library.