Sri Santha Durga Devi Army Camp, Sungai Petani (Kedah)

The word ‘santham’ denotes peace and tranquillity, which accurately describes the presence of divinity in this temple. It was in the year 1938, whereby the Sungai Petani army barracks consisted of Nepalese gurkha’s and European troops. One fine day, several gurkha’s witnessed a cobra slithering about in their army compound. As cobras are auspicious in Hinduism, the cobra was not harmed. Instead the cobra was bundled up and transported to the island of Penang. Astonishingly, another cobra appeared in the same spot, the very next day. This spiritual message was quickly deciphered by the gurkha’s through the help of a spiritual medium. They were to build a temple dedicated to goddess Kaliamman. The gurkha’s built a small shrine dedicated to Angkara Kali Amman. Unfortunately, due to ancient customs, the gurkha’s performed animal sacrifices once a year to propitiate Goddess Kaliamman. The slaughtered animal would be buried in a pit, with its flesh poisoned to prevent pilferage. In 1972 the gurkha’s left for Nepal, and thereafter the Malaysian army took over the temple. When the gurkha’s left, they brought along their beloved idol. With the takeover of the temple, the Indians in the Malaysian army decided to restore the empty sanctorum with an idol of Durga Amman and completely disallowed animal sacrifice. There are several mystical experiences in this temple, most notable is the individual who tried to destroy the temple gopuram. After repeated attempts, the transgressor lost his balance and fell to the bottom. Another individual also tried to damage the temple, which caused his child to suddenly fall ill. After several consultations with a local ‘medium', he was advised to ask forgiveness from Goddess Durga Amman. As soon as this was done, the child recovered from the mysterious ailment. A unique characteristic in this temple is that many devotees’ children have their name resemble the various forms of Durga Amman. This is due to the fact that Durga Amman has blessed many childless couples with offspring. Out of gratitude, the children are named accordingly to spread the magnificence of Durga Amman.
Address: Kem Lapangan Terbang, Sungai Petani, Kedah. Tel: