Thian Hock Keng temple undergoes renovations
The 160-year-old Thian Hock Keng temple in Telok Ayer is also home to a large number of bats.
Even though the temple is going through a year-long renovation programme, it said the bats will stay.
The temple has tried to chase out the bats because of hygiene problems, but it has been unsuccessful.
Some temple goers said the bats are good luck charms.
But the temple still needs to undergo maintenance as the last one was carried out 10 years ago.
There are bubbles on the wall, and the roof leaks when it rains. The pillars are getting hollowed out due to termites, which may cause the pillars to collapse.
Experts said these are signs that the temple's interior has too much moisture, and they plan to change the roof and some of its tiles.
They also plan to stop water from coming up from the ground.
James Kuah, representative of Thian Hock Keng Temple, said: "The water is always penetrating from the ground level to the top. So as a result, you see all the stains and bubbles on the wall.
"So the only way proposed by the consultant is that they can always drill a few holes along the bottom part of the wall, probably about 30 cm apart. Then they will inject certain water-proofing chemicals in the wall, so...the lower portion of the wall (will be sealed up). As a result, the water will not be able to penetrate further."
Mr Kuah said the renovation will be staggered and carried out in phases as there are many events held at the temple. The whole process is expected to take 12 to 14 months.
-News courtesy of Channel Newsasia-
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