Whose Statue Is On Top Of The Temple Next To Kellie's Castle?

Mention Kellie's Castle, and almost everyone considers it the Taj Mahal of Malaysia had it been completed. As an introduction, this castle was built in 1905 as a manifestation of a husband's love for his wife.

If the Taj Mahal was built as a symbol of Shah Jahan's love for Mumtaz Mahal, Kellie's Castle was built out of William Kellie Smith's love and affection for his wife, Agnes. William Kellie Smith met his wife Agnes while on a ship returning from Penang. One paragraph is enough for an introduction to Kellie's Castle because in this entry, we want to talk about the statue on top of the temple located approximately 500 meters from Kellie's Castle.

While the construction of Kellie's Castle was underway, an epidemic called the Spanish Flu, which started in Europe, spread to Asia through trade activities until it eventually hit Malaya.

The outbreak had a massive impact on William because all 70 skilled workers brought specially from India to build the castle died after contracting this deadly disease. As a result of the Spanish Flu, the plantation workers in the area, most of whom were from India, were in a state of fear.

They felt they needed protection from their god, so they requested that William Kellie Smith build a temple for the Goddess Mariamman. William Kellie Smith agreed to fund and build the temple, and as a sign of appreciation for William Kellie Smith, a statue depicting him was carved and placed alongside the other deity statues on the roof of the temple.