KULIM – About 26km from here, final works are underway for a tortoise-shaped columbarium in a Padang Serai village.
The unique five-storey structure, known as Xiao En Columbarium, will be the landmark of Kg Teluk Sira once it is completed next year.
Standing 33.8m-high, the building is designed to look like two tortoises stacked on top of the other. It sits on a 3ha plot of land and will be surrounded by a landscaped garden.
Chin Soon Kok Moral Uplifting Society advisor Lee Eng Kwong said the project, which started in 2012, was delayed due to financial constraints and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Initially, it was estimated to cost RM18 million, but escalated to RM25 million.
“The main structure is completed. The basement has been occupied by the management office and the first floor will house columbarium niches.
“For the second to fifth floors, we are planning to start the painting and interior works early next year. We need an additional RM10 million to complete the project.
“We are accepting donations from the devotees or they buy the niches in the columbarium,” he said.
The committee had wanted a pagoda structure but the late architect Yap Lean Hoe had a different idea.
“We changed our mind when the deity Lou Tze inspired Yap to come up with the tortoise-shaped structure. The tortoise signifies longevity,” Lee said.
“The columbarium will house 60,000 niches for devotees to keep the urns containing the ashes of their loved ones.
“The niches are sold between RM3,000 and RM100,000 each.”
There will be more than 1,000 parking bays and ramps for the handicapped.
The building will face the Strait of Malacca and its back is to the Baling hills. – The Vibes, October 25, 2020
