Skip to content

The Perpetual Saturday

A Cost-Conscious Malaysian Blog

  • Home
  • Food Reviews
    • Malaysian Food
    • Western Food
    • Boba Tea
    • Pork Free
    • Alcohol Served
    • Pork Served
    • Brunch
    • Bar
    • Hawker Food
    • Cheap Eats
    • Not Recommended
  • Malaysia
    • Kuala Lumpur
      • Kuala Lumpur Restaurants
      • Kuala Lumpur Attractions
      • Hiking in Kuala Lumpur
      • Shopping Malls
      • Events
    • Penang
      • Penang Restaurants
      • Penang Attractions
      • Hiking in Penang
      • Magpie Residence Review
    • Langkawi
      • Langkawi Restaurants
      • Langkawi Attractions
      • Pelangi Resort Review
      • De Balqis Resort Review
      • Duty-Free Shopping
    • Ipoh
      • Ipoh Restaurants
      • Ipoh Attractions
      • Hiking in Ipoh
    • Sabah
      • Sabah Attractions
  • Southeast Asia
    • Singapore
      • Singapore Attractions
      • Singapore Restaurants
      • Marina Bay Sands Review
    • Thailand
      • Phuket
        • Phuket Attractions
        • Phuket Restaurants
        • Naithonburi Resort Review
        • The Memory at On On Hotel Review
    • Indonesia
      • Bali Attractions
      • Bali Restaurants
      • Free Attractions in Bali
      • Waterfalls in Bali
    • Cambodia
      • Angkor Temple Guides
      • Cambodia Attractions
      • Cambodia Restaurants
      • E-Hailing in Cambodia
  • Europe
    • Germany
      • Germany Attractions
    • Austria
      • Austria Attractions
      • Austria Restaurants
  • Hiking
  • Hotel Reviews
  • Advice & Opinions
  • Toggle search form

What To See at Da Seng Ngan Temple, Ipoh

Posted on By The Perpetual Saturday No Comments on What To See at Da Seng Ngan Temple, Ipoh
Da Seng Ngan temple review Ipoh

A literal buried treasure, Da Seng Ngan Temple laid forgotten under mud and rubble since 1974 when a flash flood caused a mudslide to sweep over the area. Since its re-excavation back in 2006, precious artefacts have been discovered and Da Seng Ngan has been gradually rejuvenating itself to the tourist temple it hopes to one day be.

Getting Here & Parking

Da Seng Ngan is located down an unnamed dirt road, the same one you would use to go to Mirror Lake. You turn on to here from the highway, Jalan Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah, but be aware that the highway is one-way so you might have to drive a bit further and pull a U-turn if you’re on the opposite side. Several relatively small signs are put up by the side of the road that signal where you need to turn. Even our driver, who had lived in Ipoh for decades, did not know where this temple was and his Waze app was sending him in circles.

The road to Da Seng Ngan will have you wondering “where the hell am I going?” The narrow road passes by makeshift lorry lots and behind industrial warehouses. The route twists and turns, but keep an eye out for the signs with a Buddha statue on it. These point the way to Da Seng Ngan Temple and are placed at regular intervals on the road.

Da Seng Ngan temple

The official entrance is marked by this simple metal arch, which I’m sure will be overhauled into something much more impressive in the future. After passing through the gate and turning left, there is a small space for cars to park on the side with the cliffs. Today, parking was completely free, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a small fee on special days like the Lunar New Year.

What To See

Da Seng Ngan temple Ipoh review, things to see in Ipoh

This 8 and a half metre tall Buddha watches over the entrance. It is noteworthy, even if it seems to have been paid for by some corporation. On the way to the cave entrance, the gardens are decorated with majestic limestone Buddhas that stand with the lush green cliffs in the background.

Da Seng Ngan temple Ipoh

Sharing the space with the gods is another revered figure, a little fluffy dog named Rocky. An adorable statue of the creature sits atop an intricate marble monument, but unfortunately, I can’t read what made this dog so special.

If you walk past the temple entrance and continue on the path with golden statues on one side, you will come to a back courtyard. The centrepiece of this space is the Goddess of Mercy, Kwan Yin, housed under a blue gazebo. More gold-painted Buddhas line the side of the rock face, and smaller carvings are placed in rock alcoves in the back corner.

Da Seng Ngan Ipoh, cave temples in Ipoh

Inside the cave, everything looks new thanks to the restoration works. It is very clean since Da Seng Ngan doesn’t exactly get many visitors, so the groundskeepers have lots of time to tidy up. I actually did not go inside the cave because one of the temple caretakers had followed me out to the courtyard and was taking creepy pictures of me. I was eager to leave shortly after, so these photos of the interior are from the temple’s Facebook page.

Da Seng Ngan temple Ipoh
Da Seng Ngan temple Ipoh
Da Seng Ngan temple Ipoh
Da Seng Ngan temple Ipoh

There are the usual altars to the standard deities, but what makes Da Seng Ngan Temple stand out are the long, domino lines of golden Buddhas. Devotees hoping to improve their overall life quality (or perhaps that of a loved one) can sponsor a statue where the name is displayed at its base. There are reportedly over a thousand statues at the temple in the fifteen years that Da Seng Ngan has operated as a functioning temple.

Da Seng Ngan temple Ipoh

There also appears to be a small bookshop inside the cave where you can buy literature on Buddhist teachings.

Da Seng Ngan temple bookshop

Just outside the cave entrance on the right, there is a staircase that will take you to the rooftops of the second floor. Up here are more golden statues under blue gazebos. It’s not that high and the view is of grasslands and the ugly warehouses straight ahead.

Since I did not go inside the temple, I can’t confirm the presence of a toilet. This temple is in the middle of nowhere though, where would the caretakers go? It’s safe to assume that a washroom exists for visitors to use.

Saturday Worthy?

Da Seng Ngan temple review Ipoh

Da Seng Ngan Temple at this time has only one review on TripAdvisor, but it is highly rated on Google which is the only reason why this temple was even on our radar. The restoration works are still ongoing, and the temple seems to have lofty ambitions to add one thousand golden Buddha statues by the river in front of the temple. In a few years, this might be a gorgeous, sprawling temple to visit.

If you are not in a hurry, the newness and the sheer number of sponsored statues at Da Seng Ngan are pretty. It’s not too far from Sam Poh Tong and could be included in your day of visiting temples. However, if you’re thinking about driving here specifically this attraction, I don’t think it is worth the time. This place can be hard to find and it’s all alone out here unless you also make a trip to Mirror Lake – another supposedly underwhelming attraction. We cut our time short at Da Seng Ngan Temple in favour of seeing Kek Lok Tong, and I don’t regret the decision.

Da Seng Ngan Temple Info

Address: Unnamed Road off Jalan Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah (near Cermin Lake/Mirror Lake), 31300 Ipoh, Perak
Hours: Daily, 10am – 5pm
Washroom On-Site: Probably

Ipoh Attractions, Malaysia Tags:Cave Temple, Free Attraction, Ipoh, Secluded Attraction

Post navigation

Previous Post: Antipodean Cafe, Mid Valley Megamall
Next Post: What To See at Kek Lok Tong Temple, Ipoh

Explore More Posts

What To See at Ling Sen Tong Temple in Ipoh Ipoh Attractions
Cambodia’s Spider Market Between Phnom Penh & Siem Reap Cambodia
What To See at Sam Poh Tong Temple in Ipoh Ipoh Attractions
The Campuhan Ridge Walk: Complete Guide with Hiking Directions Bali Attractions
Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting Krabi Urban Forest Walkway (Mangrove Walkway) Krabi Attractions
What To See at Chin Swee Temple in Genting Highlands Kuala Lumpur Attractions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About the Author

I’m Cheryl and I live The Perpetual Saturday! I’ll be eating, hiking and exploring my way all over the globe so you can make informed decisions about whether you want to visit a place or not. You only get so many Saturdays in life – make them count!

You can read more about me and this blog here.

Search ThePerpetualSaturday.com

The Perpetual Saturday on Instagram

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5p1qekyijg
  • Follow on Wordpress

Copyright © 2025 The Perpetual Saturday.

Powered by PressBook Blog WordPress theme