🐍 Mystique & Faith at Penang Snake Temple

#penangspots Background The Penang Snake Temple, officially known as Hock Hin Keong or the Temple of the Azure Clouds, is located in Bayan Lepas, on Penang Island. It was built around 1850 to honour the Buddhist-monk and healer Chor Soo Kong, who was believed to have a special connection to snakes.  After the temple was erected, pit vipers (snake species) reportedly began appearing around the temple of their own accord.  Why It’s Worth Visiting Visitors come not just for worship but for something uniquely atmospheric. The temple houses living snakes—especially Wagler’s pit vipers—that curl around altars, pillars, and branches. These snakes are said to have been de-venomed (though their fangs remain) as a safety precaution.  The constant incense smoke gives the temple its signature haze, believed by locals to keep the snakes calm.  Also on site is a Snake Farm (additional exhibit) for deeper insight into reptiles.  The temple is free to enter; the Snake Farm charges a small fee (about RM5 for adults, RM3 for children).  It’s open daily from early morning (~6 AM) until evening (~7 PM).  My Impression Walking into the Snake Temple feels like entering a place where legend and ritual meet nature in unexpected harmony. Watching snakes resting in corners, breathing incense smoke, feeling the heavy, humid air, the place has a calm, mysterious energy. The contrast between something as serene as prayer and something as primal as venomous snakes makes it unforgettable. Photographs capture only part of it—being there, in the glow of temple lights and sound of burning incense, is what lingers.