Pearl Hill Viewpoint Park, Lost Souls Stuppa Traditional Cache
Pearl Hill Viewpoint Park, Lost Souls Stuppa
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Pearl Hill is a popular exercise route in the morning with many walkers, runners and bikers making the 1.5 mile, steep trek to the top. If you are not in the mood for some exercise, then you are in luck, there is parking at the Pearl Hill Viewpoint Park at the top. Follow the paved road all the way to the top and then turn right at the end onto the dirt, single lane road. According to history, Pearl Hill was the original Mount Erskine, and the roads were built by the British for defence. From the parking area, walk straight ahead to the scenic viewpoint / temple area. You are 152 feet above sea level with a beautiful view of the ocean and the town below. This is the Tua Pek Kong Chinese Temple. Temple to the local God of Prosperity. This temple plays host to a number of other deities and spirits also, including the Kuan Yin and even Hindu deities. Their altars are lined all along one side providing the deities a good view of Tanjung Bungah and the sea below.
The scenery here is magnificent, with the landscape punctuated with high rise condominiums. At the Tua Pek Kong shrine, in the temple, there is a notice reminding devotees not to pray with meat on Friday. Close to the shrine, there is also a small pool with fishes. Here and there are small shrines to the many deities. After you have explored the temple and scenic view, it's time for a short 300 meter hike to the geocache. Back in the parking lot, you will see a set of stairs going up. Follow these stairs. This path to the peak of Pearl Hill, was built in 2010 and leads to a small clearing and a symbol of peace and good wishes. Along the way you will find 7 abandoned army buildings and an observatory that were built by the British. The buildings were designed on a rectangular plan, set lengthways on the hillside on a terrace. Built-in washing and other necessary rooms were located at one end. The open side was a wide verandah, supported by square pillars, with characteristic triangular bracing at the top, creating a recognizable building style. The barrack blocks are in remarkably good condition, the camouflage paint still recognizable. After the buildings you will see some prayer flags off to the left. Follow those flags to the Stuppa of Lost Souls. It is a 5.2m stuppa (a mound-like Buddhist structure) built under the green canopy of leaves. Built and paid for by volunteers and well-wishers, the stuppa, with the words ‘A Contribution For Mankind’ engraved in gold on one side, was initiated by the Rangjung Yeshe Buddhist Society Penang. In 2008 a Nepalese lama was on a visit to Penang and ventured around the hill. He discovered an old and broken miniature stuppa measuring less than 0.6m tall. At the time, no one knew it was there. The Nepalese lama suggested the stuppa be rebuilt to appease restless spirits left wondering in the area since World War II. The current white-colored stuppa with a golden conical spire took about a month to build and was finished in November 2009. This stuppa contains relics, mantras and prayer items along with a 2.4m teak wood ‘soul’ (central channel of the stuppa, also known as the ‘Tree of Life’). The structure was the first stand-alone stuppa in Penang. The stuppa is for all people. Buddhists may want to come here with prayers and offerings but for others, it will be like a wish-fulfilling jewel for people with petitions. Having it placed on a hill is also good, so the blessings can flow down to the whole island. The Geocache is located off to the right side, in the woods behind the Stuppa. See a large rock? Please re-hide after you find it. Thanks! Hope you enjoyed learning about the history of this area:).
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybbx va gur ebbgf bs n gerr gung vf tebjvat nebhaq n irel ynetr ebpx. Lbh jvyy abg unir gb pyvzo gur ebpx.
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