SEREMBAN, MALAYSIA, June 29, 2004: More than 2,000 pairs of footwear were left at the Sri Bala Thandayuphati Temple in Jalan Yam Tuan here by devotees who attended a consecration ceremony at the 109-year-old shrine on Sunday. Temple president R. Thangaratnam said the devotees were unable to retrieve their shoes and slippers because of the huge crowd. “Initially we only expected 5,000 devotees but the crowd swelled to almost four times that number. There was a significant number of people from Britain, France and Japan, too,” he said yesterday. Thangaratnam said the uncollected footwear would be handed to charity homes. Seremban MP Datuk Hon Choon Kim, who was the guest-of-honor at the ceremony, said the temple, which was built by the Chettiar business community, would be promoted as a tourist destination. He said the temple was unique as the entire floor was made of granite marble and its architecture could also attract more tourists to the town.
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