Established in 1894 by Malaya’s Sinhalese Buddhists, the temple transforms into a hive of activity on Buddhism’s most sacred day, drawing nearly 15,000 devotees for prayers, Dhamma talks, meditation, blood and organ donation drives, and cultural events.
Resident monk Bhante P Vineetha Thera said that the crowds at the temple on Wesak Day are so large, there is hardly any space to move around.
The highlight of the celebration is the 12km candlelight procession that starts at 6pm today, drawing nearly 25,000 devotees and visitors every year.
Participants, along with Wesak Day floats from various societies and temples, walk a four-hour route through Kuala Lumpur, including Jalan Petaling and Jalan Bukit Bintang, before returning to the temple.
“You can see people carrying candles and joss sticks and chanting Buddhist hymns in this procession,” said Tilak Leslie Jayawardena, 64, the temple’s honorary secretary.
He credited the grand Wesak Day festivities to the temple’s former chief monk and Malaysia’s first Buddhist chief high priest, the late Dr K Sri Dhammananda Nayaka Thera.
Describing him as a “forward-thinking, dynamic monk”, Jayawardena said Dhammananda implemented necessary changes to introduce Wesak to the masses.
Consequently, the Buddhist Maha Vihara became a cornerstone of the Buddhist community and the surrounding neighbourhood.
“There are a lot of people who live in the neighbourhood who come in the evening. Spend personal time. Some sit under the tree, some on the bench. All they want is just peace, calm and quiet,” Jayawardena, a Malaysian Sinhalese, noted.
Over a century ago, the Sinhalese Buddhist community established the Śāsana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society, obtained the land, and began building the temple. The name was later changed to Buddhist Maha Vihara (a Sinhala translation for main temple) for ease of pronunciation.
The temple has been a sanctuary for practising Dhamma in the Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist tradition for 130 years, standing as a testament to the faith and dedication of its founders and devotees.
The temple’s architecture, adorned with intricate designs and statues of Buddha, reflects its historical roots. The hall in the main shrine was completed in the 1930s.
“We have many donors, like Chow Kit and Thamboosamy Pillay, who donated to our building fund,” Jayawardena said. Other key donors included Kapitan Yap Kwan Seng, business magnate Wong Loke Yew and Indian community leader and businessman R Doraisamy Pillay.
Over the years, structures like the lotus fountain (1956), the Sanchi-style gateway (1971), the pagoda (1971), and Wisma Dharma Chakra (1995) were added to the temple grounds.
In the 1960s, the temple hosted mass gatherings and campaigns to lobby for Wesak Day to be declared a national holiday. During the Malayan Emergency of 1948-1960, monks from the temple reached out to resettled Chinese in the New Villages.
“Our focus has always been the monks. That is a key factor that draws people. People come for blessings and counselling. If they have a problem, they come seeking the assistance of the monks,” Jayawardena pointed out.
He said the monks played an integral role in keeping Buddhism relevant for young people.
Currently, the Buddhist Maha Vihara houses four resident monks — three from Sri Lanka and one from Malaysia.
For Thera, who settled in Malaysia in 2014 and became a resident monk at the temple in 2018, Wesak Day is deeply personal.
When Wesak coincided with his birthday once, Thera described it as a “remarkable and historical day” where an “unshaken confidence rose from the bottom of my heart … I tried to avoid evil practices and promoted my meritorious practices.”
As for Jayawardena, this time of year is somewhat bittersweet as his brother was killed in an accident just a week before Wesak Day in 1981.
“My Wesak Day wish is to have a peaceful and successful Wesak here. We invite all devotees to join us in this celebration and absorb the beauty of what Wesak is and what Buddhism can offer you,” Jayawardena concluded.
Buddhist Maha Vihara
123, Jalan Berhala
Brickfields
50470 Kuala Lumpur