Yong and his mother are the caretakers of his humble “kuil”, a task they have performed since his father, Yong Hing, first came upon the temple 40 years ago.

Located in Kampung Kelanang, Banting, just over an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur, the temple stands amidst lush green plantations and narrow kampung roads.

“Growing up near the plantations in Banting, my father liked to chase after birds,” Yong said when FMT Lifestyle visited the temple before Deepavali.

One day, Yong’s father followed a bird through the fields, venturing farther than usual, not expecting it to lead him to a statue of Lord Anjaneyar at the site of the temple.

“We were very poor, so I don’t even know why, but he gave RM50 to one of the boys in the estate and asked him to cut the grass and clean the temple,” Yong said.

His father began visiting the temple, offering prayers and eventually taking up the responsibility of maintaining it. “My father didn’t know the right way to pray, so he just bought Chinese incense sticks, a few other prayer items, and did what he could.”

But with his family barely getting by, Yong’s father came close to walking away from taking care of the temple.

“My father went to the temple and said, ‘I’m sorry. I’m not good enough to take care of this temple, I don’t even have money to buy oil. I’m embarrassed to come here again’,” Yong said.

“But a few days later, Lord Anjaneyar (the deity known as Hanuman) appeared in my father’s dreams, calling him back to the temple.”

He was stunned by what awaited him. “There was sambrani, incense sticks, camphor, and a big tin of oil placed there. From that day until now, the light in our temple has never gone out.”

With the support of devotees, Yong’s family has transformed what was a rudimentary structure into the place of worship that it is today.

Yong said he took over the task after his father died during the pandemic, leaving a high-paying job overseas to do so.

Yong was not very religious or particularly attached to the temple while growing up, but eventually found his own calling with Lord Hanuman, a key deity from the Hindu epic “Ramayana”, which forms the origins of Deepavali.

He still recalls vividly the first time he entered the temple without his father. “I opened the door to Lord Raman’s altar, opened the door to Ayya (Lord Muniswaran), and pulled the cloth away.

“It wasn’t Ayya standing there but my father, saying, ‘Welcome home.’ For the first time in my life, I cried until I passed out.”

Like praying at home

Sri Seetharaman temple is now a cherished place of worship in the community. “I felt very comfortable here, it’s as if I was praying at home,” said one devotee, 23-year-old Thenmalar Subramaniam.

Another devotee, Uthaya Letchumy, said the temple has been taken cared of for this long because the people have remained united.

Indeed, Chinese devotees from Klang were seen making their first visit to the temple, which lies in an area surrounded by Malay kampungs.

Yong said Malaysians must recognise that they have more in common with one another than they might realise.

“All religions teach us to be good people, to do good deeds,” he said. “No matter your background or your status, if you have Lord Raman and Lord Anjaneyar in your heart, you, too, can take care of this temple.”

Sri Seetharaman Kuil
Kampung Kelanang,
42700 Banting, Selangor

For location, click here.

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