By Teoh Yee Shen
SHAH ALAM, April 21 — The state-level Wesak Day celebration will be held over the course of a month beginning today, said Special Committee of Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, and Tao Religions in Selangor (Limas) co-chairman Ng Sze Han.
He said the main celebration will take place on May 17 at the Maha Karuna Vihara temple in Elmina, here, from 9 am to 5 pm, with Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari expected to attend.
According to him, various activities will be held throughout the month-long celebration, including a photography contest themed ‘Wesak Warms My Heart’ and temple visits.
“This event reflects the state government’s support for the Buddhist community," he said in a press conference to provide details on the celebration at the Maha Karuna Vihara temple yesterday.
"This year, the celebration will be moved to Maha Karuna Vihara after being held at Kuan Yin Teng last year."
In conjunction with the Visit Selangor Year campaign, Ng said a total of 5,000 booklets featuring information on temples located across the state will be distributed.
“Visitors who collect stamps from at least 10 of these temples will also stand a chance to win lucky draw prizes," he added.
The ‘Wesak Warms My Heart’ photography contest, meanwhile, will run until May 13, giving the public an opportunity to win attractive prizes.
Wesak Day will be celebrated on May 12 this year.
The state government has allocated RM6 million to support non-Islamic places of worship in Selangor this year, of which RM3.6 million are for Buddhist and Taoist temples, RM1.7 million for Hindu temples, and the remainder for Christian and Sikh places of worship.
