Vietnam – Malaysia Business Association donates bronze bell pagoda in Malaysia
The Vietnam–Malaysia Business Association (VMBIZ), with the support of the Business Association of Overseas Vietnamese (BAOOV), on January 15 held a ceremony to present a bronze bell to Ti-Ratana Heights pagoda in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The 1.5-tonne bell was cast in Hanoi’s suburban district of My Duc at a cost of 400,000 RM (US$85,320). It is decorated with images of a map of Vietnam, Vietnam's bronze drum and pagoda and a list of benefactors who donated for the bell's making.
Speaking at the ceremony, head monk of the pagoda K.Sri Dhammaratana Nayaka Maha Thera, who is the Buddhist Chief High Priest of Malaysia, noted that the offered bell creates an initial foundation for the Vietnamese community in Malaysia to join hands in building their own temple. According to him, with about 10,000 Vietnamese people living and working in Kuala Lumpur, Ti-Ratana pagoda will certainly become the second home of Vietnamese people and a place to convey Buddhism to future generations.
The BAOOV’s General Secretary Peter Hong said that the bell offered to the Ti-Ratana pagoda is the 92nd of its kind that the association has helped to present to pagodas in 92 countries and territories across the world.
Located about 15 km from the centre of Kuala Lumpur, Ti-Ratana pagoda is located on an area of 5,000 sq.m on a gentle hill and surrounded by a vast green forest.
Many Vietnamese Buddhists visit the pagoda at weekends in recent years to worship Buddha. In August 2022, Vietnamese monks, nuns and Buddhists presented a 2m-high Buddha statue to the pagoda. The Vietnamese community in Malaysia wishes to have a Vietnamese pagoda in Malaysia.
