Relocation of Hindu temple in Malaysia fuels accusations of special privileges

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is set to lay the foundation stone for a new mosque on the current site of the Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur

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The relocation of the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman temple in Kuala Lumpur has sparked a heated debate among Hindus and Muslims in Malaysia. Photo: Facebook/yuefo amulets

Published: 2:34pm, 26 Mar 2025Updated: 2:44pm, 26 Mar 2025

A proposed relocation of a Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur to make way for a mosque has continued to spark anger among some members of Malaysia’s Muslim community, who accuse authorities of granting special privileges for the move to a prime area.

The land occupied by the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman temple, which was originally built without a land deed, was sold to Malaysian textile giant Jakel in 2014. The temple’s location at Munsyi Abdullah Street has stood for 130 years, according to its committee.

Jakel has had plans to build a mosque on the temple site for years.

On Tuesday, the committee said it had agreed with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall for the temple’s relocation to a nearby site. It came just two days before Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was due to lay the foundation stone for the new mosque called Masjid Madani, named after Anwar’s administration slogan, Malaysia Madani.

But the move has alarmed Hindu advocacy groups and spurred an ongoing backlash from some segments of the Muslim-majority community.

The Malaysian Hindu Sangam (MHS), which represents the country’s 2 million Hindus, has proposed setting up a special body to address land issues linked to temples across Malaysia. It said many of them were built with the permission of British colonial authorities, but those land rights were not formalised after Malaysia gained independence in 1957.