Saturday, July 24, 2010

Spookiest Places in Malaysia

Alright, for my 1st official blog post, I am going to make a list, not just any list mind you but one about some of the spookiest places in Malaysia.

With the Chinese Hungry Ghost Month just around the corner, there are no better ways to spend the upcoming festive season than by visiting some of these places.

First up is the Bukit Cina cemetery in Melaka.

Cemeteries are spooky, especially Chinese cemeteries where you can find the deceased staring back at you through eerie black & white photos on the headstones.

In Bukit Cina, we have the largest Chinese graveyard outside of China covering 26ha with 12,500 graves. This place is so ancient, you can find graves dating back to the late Ming dynasty!


Bukit cina 1


During my last visit to Melaka, I went up the hill using the stairs beside the Sam Poh Kong temple. On top of the stairs, there were graveyards in various stages of disrepair, the wordings on some tombstones were completely gone. Broken tree branches & dead leaves littered the area.

Very spooky indeed...


Bukit cina 2


Next up is Kellie's Castle in Batu Gajah, Perak.

This huge mansion was built by a Scotsman, William Kellie Smith shortly after the birth of his son in 1915. The construction of this building was seemingly doomed, many of the Indian labourers died after being infected by the 'Spanish Flu' in the early 1920's.


Kellie's Castle 4


A Hindu temple had to be constructed nearby to appeased the gods before construction can be resumed. However, tragedy struck again when Kellie contracted pneumonia in Lisbon and died. His wife, Agnes later sold the property and left Malaya while the castle remain unfinished till this very day.

Like all good castles, this one is said to be haunted as well. It is said that Kellie never really left his mansion and can be seen wandering along this corridor at times.


Kellie's Castle 2


In one of the rooms belonging to his daughter, Helen visitors reported seeing a little girl with curly hair & wearing a white blouse emerged for a few seconds before disappearing again.

The castle was also featured in the Hong Kong paranormal documentary, The Unbelievable (怪談) whereby the crew went to the place at night to investigate such supernatural occurrences by setting up night vision cameras around the building.

One of the cameras was found fallen when they returned, even though it was set up in a enclosed area with no breeze or wind. Upon playing back the tape, a ghostly apparition can be seen coming towards camera at high speed before knocking it over.

Lastly, we have Pudu Jail, which is being demolished as we speak.


Pudu Jail


Completed in 1895, the prison is the scene of many executions & inmates deaths due to fighting among prisoners. When the Japs took over during World War 2, it was used as a place to tortured & killed captured prisoners of war. The prison is widely believed to be haunted & must have been the Holy Grail for Malaysian ghost hunters.

Wardens who once worked there said it was common to hear footsteps or chains rattling at night even though there isn't anyone around. But the spookiest tale has got to be the recurring apparition of a woman believed to be hanged in the prison.


Pudu jail 2


She had tried to kill herself unsuccessfully before by splitting her throat, but before she could fully recovered an order came for her execution to be carried out. Due to her injury, her head was torn off when she was hanged & her ghost was seen by many ever since.

Now that the area has been marked for redevelopment into 40% residential area & 60% commercial units (including hotels!), I guess the spirits will get new places to hang out...


2 comments: