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Last Saturday, the All Is Amazing Collective embarked on a photowalk in Petaling Street, just to be tourist-y in our own city and because Chinese New Year was around the corner. Instead of using our bulky work DSLRs, we challenged ourselves to shoot only with our mobile phones.
I did feel a pinch of regret of not even knowing the existence of this temple (bad Chinese Malaysian!). Tucked away behind a busy row of shops near the popular Central Market, I wouldn’t have noticed it if it weren’t for this photowalk.

The temple exuded an inexplicable charm that I haven’t experienced elsewhere. While other temples are noisy and filled with devotees hustling and bustling around, this was calmingly peaceful despite the crowd that had gathered there. The Sin Sze Si Ya Temple (仙四师爷庙) was built in 1864, and was commissioned by Kapitan Yap Ah Loy, the Chinese immigrant who built and developed Kuala Lumpur.

The Sin Sze Si Ya Temple was founded in 1864 by Kapitan Yap Ah Loy, it is dedicated to patron deities of Sin Sze Ya and Si Sze Ya. The deities has guided Kapitan Yap Ah Loy to defeat the enemies and defend Kuala Lumpur during the civil war (1870-1873). The temple has witnessed the birth and growth of our great city Kuala Lumpur.

This historical Taoist temple is now managed by a Punjabi woman, Ranjit Kaur, who was raised there. Her story is captivating and simply a must-read. Ranjit Kaur is truly the one of the best examples of beautiful Malaysian diversity.

 

All images here were photographed using my iPhone 6 and edited using Snapseed and Lightroom Mobile.
View the rest of the photos by the All Is Amazing Collective here (only accessible via the Facebook App on mobile devices)