The architectural style of the Pagoda of Rama VI, also known as the Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas (万佛塔), is an amalgamation of Chinese, Thai and Burmese influences to reflect Kek Lok Si (极乐寺) temple’s embrace of Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, along with trickles of Taoist traditions. The octagonal base of the 7-storey pagoda is distinctively Chinese, while the middle of the structure draws reference from Thai architectural design. The pagoda tops off with a stupa with Indochinese (Burmese) influence.
The pagoda was built to house 70,000 sacred scripture bestowed by Qing China’s Emperor Guang Xu (光绪). Thailand’s King Rama VI (otherwise known as Vajiravudh) laid the foundation for the construction of the pagoda during his visit to Penang, which explains why the pagoda was named after him. I guess the design of the pagoda paid homage to the benefactors of the temple. The medley of cultural influences makes the pagoda the most unique structure within the sprawling temple complex and makes the temple clearly distinctive from other Buddhist temples of the region. Tiger Balm’s Aw Boon Par and Aw Boon Haw too have contributed to the expansion of the temple. Which utterly makes sense in retrospect since much of the landscaping on the temple grounds are reminiscent of the design seen at Haw Par Villa.
Picture taken with the D800 and my favorite wide-angle zoom, the Nikon AF-S 14–24mm f/2.8G ED.