Little oil lamp over The Big Rock

Photo above: From top of The Big Rock looking toward South.  

At the right side is housing build in 1971. 

At the background is Government Quarter Area where my family lived in Quarter 117 (1959 to 1961) and Quarter 66 (1966 to 1972).  A row of wooden quarters could be seen in the photos. The windows were all closed indicating the houses were not being occupied. All these quarters have been demolish by 2010 making way for a mega commercial multi purposes area that include hotels and a water park.

In front is the Shell petrol station original location at the corner of traffic light. The station shifted 100 meters further up the Rock Road to give way to expansion of the highway junction.

Photo above : On top of The Big Rock, an ordinary oil lamp housed in special created lamp housing. Showing the determination of the worshipper who place it there has a determination to keep on the lamp burning.

“Give me oil in my lamp keep it burning, burning …..I prayed” 

This is a favorite song of my Christian friends. But the real determination to keep a lamp burning and burning I found in this little Hindu oil lamp.

An ordinary oil lamp placed on The Big Rock by a worshipper most likely Hindu because of the Hindu style clay lamp.  

Keeping an oil lamp in the wide open space to keep on burning and burning is impossible every knows. A breeze blew over and the fire is easily extinguish. A shower of raindrop not only put off the fire but also replace the oil in the clay with water. (Water is heaver then oil).

But wind and rain do not deter a Hindu devotee to keep his oil lamp burning burning till he return again to give it some more oil. 

A genuinely created lamp housing I never seen earlier. Hand made and unlikely made in Carpenter Street which is well known for skilled iron works. 

The square glass housing protects the fire from blowing wind.  The chimney on top keeps ventilation of flow of air and smoke necessary for the fire to keep on burning. The slanting corn shape keeps the rain water flow to the side. And an umbrella like shade on top keep heavy rain drops away.  A big ring handles on top for comfortable and firm gripping and carrying.

Wish upon a rock in Batu Lintang

By CHOONG MEK ZHIN 

http://election.thestar.com.my/sarawak/news/story.asp?file=/2011/4/16/sarawakpolls/8493165&sec=sarawakpolls

KUCHING: Though the city has grown in the name of development, there is still room for the mystical and it exists right here in Batu Lintang where there is a rock that is said to have mystical properties to grant wishes.

The dark-coloured rock is located beside a Hindu temple along the aptly named Jalan Rock and is hard to miss due to its size.

“Oh yes, the locals know about the rock. My grandmother made a wish on it once and it was fulfilled,” Manjeet Kaur Sidhu, 42, a businesswoman said though she had never made a wish there.