(Editor’s note: Rushville Consolidated High School graduate and Ball State University College of Architecture and Planning (CAP) student Bliss Young has again shared with us a story and photos from some of her more recent visits as part of a program offered through CAP in which she is participating.)
After a lengthy coach ride, we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The first thing that I did was walk to the Petronus Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world, and take night pictures. The towers are the highlight of the Kuala Lumpur skyline and are beautifully designed to reflect the area’s Muslim heritage. The numbers of floors and sides all represented sacred numbers. Even the floor plan was based on the eight-pointed star, which is also sacred to the Islamic religion. Many Malaysian people have great pride for these buildings because, despite their location in Asia, the official religion of the country is Islam. Native born Malaysians are considered to be Muslim, whether they practice or not. However, immigrants from other places are free to practice whatever religion they wish. It is an odd system, but there seems to be little dissent.
Our first full day in Kuala Lumpur started with a city tour. We saw the National Mosque, a contemporary styled house of worship with both Asian and Middle Eastern influences, and then traveled to the National War Monument. It had a very interesting layout and the viewer progressed spatially through many areas that represented different wars until they finally arrived at the main remembrance space, which overlooked a large, sloped field of grass. The next stop was the National Museum. We were not able to go inside, but the design of the structure is amazing. It is a perfect example of Malaysia’s efforts to respect the old styles of architecture, but also bring in contemporary ideas. The museum is designed to imitate a Minagkan or traditional Malaysian palace, but uses new materials and building techniques to make the spaces more comfortable and convenient. The result is a beautiful mix of old and new.
After our tour of the city, we headed out to the countryside and visited the famous pilgrimage site, Batu Caves. This site is dedicated to many different Hindu gods and has a gleaming gold, 150-foot tall statue of Siva guarding the entrance. There are 272 steps up to the cave and, once at the top, it opens up to a huge space with shafts of light streaming down to the floor. The path takes the visitor to the back of the cave where several shrines are set and the roof is open to the sky. Many Hindu pilgrims visit the site each year, especially during the mid-February celebration of forgiveness and thanksgiving. Hindu women will typically carry a pot of milk on their heads as they walk up the stairs and give it as an offering. Men, however, wear a large metal or wooden cage, which they carry while climbing the steps. This cage normally has many sets of needles connected by small chains to the frame which the man puts through his skin. As he walks, the needles pull from different directions, causing pain. This is seen as an act of penance for sins committed in the previous year.
After we left Batu, we went back to our hotel to rest and work on our studies. We will be leaving for Cambodia by plane. I really don’t know what to expect, but if it is half as interesting as Malaysia, I can’t wait!
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