The snake temple of Penang is situated in the south west of the island and was built about 1850 by a Buddhist monk. After the construction of the temple, snakes reportedly appeared by themselves. The temple is filled with the smoke of burning incense and a variety of pit vipers. The snakes are believed to be rendered harmless by the sacred smoke, but as a safety precaution, the they are reported to have also been de-venomed but still have their fangs intact. Visitors are warned against picking up the reptiles and placing them on their bodies to take pictures. While some warnings seem over cautious this one was easy for me to follow.
Geoff's travel blog - click an image 
This looks like terrifying! I hope you had a very long lens.
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200mm and they are supposedly nocturnal so were sleeping.
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They don’t look like they are sleeping.
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what a huge difference when 50 years ago I entered this temple as a jr high student, there were not a dozen snakes there were hundreds dripping everywhere coiled in many bowls on the alters, dangling everywhere. The insence so thick the air of the room was foggy. I assume all these years later it has adapted to tourism, safety and has become a commerical enterprise. trust me it wasnt back in the 60’s it was terrifying, think raider of the lost ark,scene, Harrison Ford “I hate snakes”
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Thanks for the comment. I hope to be able to visit again one of these days. We love Penang, Langkawi, KL, and KK.
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