# Teochew Ancestral Temple: From the entrance of Masjid Kapitan Keling, turn left. At the junction with Lebuh Chulia, turn right and go down Lebuh Chulia. The Teochew Ancestral Temple is on the right side of Lebuh Chulia in front of the Lebuh Queen junction.
# Sri Mahamariamman Temple: From the entrance of Masjid Kapitan Keling, turn left. At the junction with Lebuh Chulia, turn right and go down Lebuh Chulia. A short distance you is the junction to Lebuh Queen to the left. Turn in, and the Sri Mahamariamman Temple is on the left side of the street.
# Nagore Shrine: From the entrance of Masjid Kapitan Keling, turn left. At the junction with Lebuh Chulia, turn right and go down Lebuh Chulia. Go past Lebuh Queen, and you will arrive at the Nagore Shrine at the next junction, Lebuh King.
# Lim Kongsi: From the entrance of Masjid Kapitan Keling, cross Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, then enter Lebuh Ah Quee on the opposite side of the road. Go down Lebuh Ah Quee, and you will find Lim Kongsi on the right side of the road.
# Kuan Yin Teng: From the entrance of Masjid Kapitan Keling, turn left. Cross the junction of Lebuh Chulia and continue along Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling. The Kuan Yin Teng is on the left side of the road, at the junction of Lorong Stewart.

By Bus
Express buses ply the route from Penang to / from Kuala Lumpur and major cities in the country. Please visit (http://www.plusliner.com/) for more info. The main bus terminal in Penang is located next to the Ferry Terminal.
By Taxi
To get to Penang Island, long distance taxi service can be hired at Weld Quay, Penang. Tel: +604-2625721.
By Plane
Daily flights via Malaysia Airlines (www.malaysiaairlines.com, tel:1 300 88 3000 ) and AirAsia (www.airasia.com, tel: 1-300-88 9933) to / from Penang to major cities in Malaysia. Penang’s Bayan lepas International Airport is roughly 20km (45-minnute drive) from the Georgetown city centre.
By Rail
You can take the train from Kuala Lumpur to Penang, where it stops at the Penang Railway Station, close to the ferry terminal. For more information, visit www.ktmb.com.my or call their call centre at +603-22671200.
By Boat
Ferries can be boarded at Butterworth, in the mainland portion of Penang. Among Ferry Services available are:
Langkawi Ferry Services (Tel: +604-2643088
Ekspress Bahagia (Tel: +604-2636255)

From the Ferry Terminal you can easily get a taxi ride into Georgetown city centre.
Located at Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling (formerly known as Pitt Street), at the heart of Georgetown City, the mosque is easily accessible from any major roads in the city. A trishaw ride is also an ideal way to negotiate Georgetown’s streets, and it costs around RM1.50 per kilometre.

To drive to Penang, from Kuala Lumpur, get onto the North-South Expressway heading north. Get onto the Penang Bridge (Tol is RM7 for cars), then head for Georgetown.

Before the construction of the Penang State Mosque, the Kapitan Keling Mosque was used as the state mosque of Penang, since it is the largest historic mosque in George Town. The Kapitan Keling Mosque was named after Caudeer Mohudeen, the head of the Indian Muslim community credited to have built it around 1800.

The name “kapitan keling” is used to denote the headman or leader of the South Indian Muslim community. The term “keling” is derived from the ancient Hindu kingdom on the Coromandel coast of South India, and the local Hokkien community corrupts the word to derive “keling-na” for Indians in general, particularly those from South India (The North Indians are pooled together with another term, “banggali”, though they are not necessarily from Bengal). The title “Kapitan” is a corruption of the English word “Captain”, and is used to denote the leader of the community. Similarly, the leader of the Chinese community during that period is called a Kapitan China.

The Kapitan Keling was the first Superintendent of the mosque. He brought in the builders and stones from India for the project. The original mosque structure was a single-storey rectangular building with a sloping roof on all sides and surrounded by a stone bench. It was surrounded by shophouses, with access through a narrow gateway.

It is generally accepted that the 18-acre plot of land on which the mosque stands was granted to the Indian Muslim community by the then Lieutenant Governor of Penang, Sir George Leith, in November 1801 for the building of a “Mohamedan Church for ever”. This was not to be, however, as over the years, and as George Town grew, the government had to buy back parcels of land from the mosque, for the town’s social amenities. This includes the land for the nearby police station and the Campbell Street Market. The Kapitan would not have to live to see this happening to his mosque, having died in 1834. His tomb can be found at Kampung Kolam, not far from the mosque itself. As I write this (February 2005), the tomb is in a rather neglected state.

Meanwhile, the land belonging to the mosque continued to shrink in size, brought on by encroachment and improper management. Private homes were soon within a few feet of the mosque itself. By 1903, the original 18 acres had reduced to only 8.

In 1905, the government set up the Mohammedan and Hindu Endowment Board, to supervise the administration of trust lands (tanah wakaf). An extensive urban renewal programme was underway. In the 1910s, the mosque was given a major facelift in the British Moghul Revival style, with the addition of Mughal domes and turrets, a large minaret and a madrasah, completed around 1916. The mosque complies with Kiblat, which rules that it must face the direction of the Ka’aba.

Another renovation in 1930 gave the Kapitan Keling Mosque its present appearance after the previous design was deemed impractical. In keeping with tradition, the mosque was not rebuilt, but only enlarged. Among the major work during this period included doubling the height of the central prayer hall, improvement to the ventilation system, and allowing more natural light to enter. The exterior is ochre yellowed while the interior had white marble floors and a high ceiling. The interior aisles are formed by a series of horseshoe arches, crowned with King Edward’s plaques. The façade of the building and its interior were decorated with geometric designs, as human and animal forms are forbidden in Islam.

The Kapitan Keling Mosque underwent its most recent refurnishment in 2003, with a RM5 million grant, as water seepage and poor drainage were affecting the building, closing it down for a year. In this renovation, some alterations that do not compromise on the original aesthetics of the building were included. Among the new extensions was a covered walkway and a women’s ablution area. Calligraphy was added to the interior of the main dome and walls, where once these were decorated with foral motifs. An Islamic Information Centre is also set up on the ground floor of the minaret.

The Kapitan Keling Mosque is used by Muslims five times a day, seven days a week.

A magnificent chandelier drips from the highest ceiling, which rises to the largest onion-shaped dome, encircled by calligraphy panels and stained glass windows featuring the Star of David. Arabesques of geometric designs and floral motifs are found throughout the mosque, whose marble floors are lined with long rows of prayer rugs. From dawn to dusk you can see the faithful prostrating themselves after cleansing at the ablution pool or enjoying quiet thoughts within the serene complex.

What began as a simple single-storey brick structure envisioned by Cauder Mydin Merican, the then headman, or Kapitan, of the Indian Muslim community in 1801, has been added to and embelished over the centuries. It is believed that the 18-acre lot, now reduced to only eight acres (as rest was used for building roads and houses), was granted to the Muslims for religious use by Sir George Leith, then Lieutenant Governor of Penang in November 1801.

The name of mosque was taken from the Kapitan Kelings, people who were appointed leaders of the South Indian community by the British. The term ‘keling’ derived from the ancient Hindu kingdom on the Coromandel coast of South India. It was generally used to denote all those who came from there. As the Indians found it difficult to pronounce certain English words, the title “Captain” was somehow transformed into “Kapitan”. From there, the Kapitan Kelings or Captains of the Kelings came about.

The mosque also complies with the ancient rule of the Kiblat, which means to face in the direction of the Ka’aba. This is also the direction Muslims must face when praying.

The Kapitan Keling Mosque is used by Muslims five times a day, seven days a week. It is full on Fridays and overflows during the the Muslim celebrations of Hari Raya Aidil Fitri and Hari Raya Haji. Just as the mosque has grown over the past two hundred, so has the number of worshippers and the strength of faith.

Visitor info:
Visiting hours : 1pm to 5pm (Sat to Thurs) & 3pm to 5pm (Friday)

Admission: Free. Guided Tours run by the Islamic Propagation Society International are available at the Islamic Information Centre located at the ground floor of the minaret.

Dress code: Visitors are required to wear robes, which are available.

We bringin’ u “THE INDIAN MUSLIM CULTURE CELEBRATION” which will took part on Wednesday 7/7/2010 .

COME AND JOIN US FOR THIS HISTORY MAKING EVENT! SEE YOU THERE!!