I saw on facebook yesterday that the repairs to the badly damaged Tua Pek Kong Temple in the old Bukit Mertajam town are almost nearing completion. The temple had been ravaged by fire on the third of July in 2019. After that, the whole of the temple premises was cordoned off and the hawkers that used to operate on the perimeter fringes of the temple, including the back and side lanes, were relocated to nearby coffee shops.
I had written something about the fire three years ago. The damage was so extensive that the temple's interior had been reduced to cinders. Click here for my original story which included some background into the temple's history itself. The original temple was built in 1866 and was the centre of social and religious life among the early inhabitants. The fire in 2019 was a devastating blow but it gave the perfect opportunity to reconstruct a safer premises that complies with today's fire regulations. I can't wait for the temple to reopen to the public. It's sure to attract a big crowd as people resumes paying homage to the town's main resident deity.
The picture below was taken from facebook. The link is here if anyone wants to see more pictures of the almost ready temple premises.
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