Wesak celebration draws 30,000 devotees to 130-year-old Brickfields temple

New Straits Times

12-05-2025

KUALA LUMPUR: More than 30,000 devotees and visitors, including tourists, gathered at the Buddhist Maha Vihara Temple in Brickfields today in a grand Wesak Day celebration that also marked the temple's 130th anniversary.
This year's celebration stood out not just for its scale, but also for a renewed focus on charitable initiatives, including an organ donation drive under the Silent Mentor programme, in addition to the annual blood donation campaign.
Buddhist Maha Vihara honorary secretary Tilak Leslie said the Silent Mentor programme allowed individuals to donate their bodies after death for medical research and education, in collaboration with universities, teaching hospitals and medical experts.
"As of now, we have 30 pledged deceased donors whose bodies are preserved for educational purposes," he said, adding that the registration process was simple and open to all.
Founded in 1894 by the Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society, the Maha Vihara Temple held its first Wesak Day celebration in 1895, following the arrival of two Sri Lankan monks.
Wesak Day, observed on the full moon in May, commemorates the birth, enlightenment and passing of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, all of which were believed to have occurred on the same lunar date.
"This is the most sacred day for Buddhists," Tilak said.
"It commemorates the three most significant milestones in the Buddha's life, and we honour it with spiritual observances and acts of compassion."
This morning's celebrations began with the raising of the Buddhist flag at 8am by Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Malaysia M.I. Mohamed Rizvi and chief high priest Datuk K. Sri Dhammaratana, followed by prayers, singing of hymns, the lighting of lotus oil lamps and the burning of incense.
Devotees then queued to receive blessings, holy water and a sacred yellow string from monks.
One of the key highlights of the evening was the Wesak float procession that began at 6.30pm, which would cover a 12km route through the heart of Kuala Lumpur, before returning to the temple around 10.30pm.
Between 20 to 25 elaborately decorated floats, depicting the life and teachings of the Buddha, would be taking part in the parade.
In a notable show of interfaith unity, the Church of Our Lady of Fatima nearby contributed to the celebration by offering food to the monks and distributing meals to devotees.
"We're deeply humbled by their generosity," Tilak said.
"They've also planned to provide more food tomorrow during the lunch hour. It's a beautiful example of unity and shared compassion."
When asked about the crowd, Tilak described the response as "overwhelming", with at least 30,000 people recorded by midday.