A prominent temple which is located on the hills of Bukit Kepayang (also known as Victoria Hills) nearSeremban, Negeri Sembilan, stands one of Malaysia’s most unique and spiritually significant Hindu temples : the Arulmighu Maha Sapthakanniga Devi Temple, more commonly referred to as Kanni Kuil.
With a history spanning over a century, this 105-year-old temple is believed to be the only temple in Malaysia dedicated solely to the Sapthakanniga, or Seven Virgin Goddesses, a rare and powerful aspect of worship. The seven deities enshrined here are Biramme, Mageswary, Gaumaree, Vyshnavi, Varaahi, Magenthree, and Samundy - all forms of Shakti representing divine feminine energy and power.
The temple’s origin is deeply intertwined with a local legend involving a Chinese contractor who once operated a silica mining project on the hill. Repeated technical failures with explosives prompted him to consult an expert from London, who strategically placed charges for detonation. However, the explosives were mysteriously displaced overnight. During a follow-up inspection, the contractor and his team encountered a snake, which they killed.
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Soon after, a series of unexplained accidents and illnesses plagued the mining crew and the contractor himself. His spiritual advisor attributed the misfortunes to the wrath of Nagamma, a snake goddess believed to inhabit the hill in the form of a serpent or a young woman. Following traditional advice, the contractor performed prayers and built a shrine at the site as an act of penance and reverence. His health reportedly improved soon after, and the shrine gradually evolved into the temple that exists today.
Another local tale speaks of an ice cream vendor who regularly visited the temple grounds for business but failed to pay respects to the deities. After ignoring the spiritual significance of the space, he was approached by two mysterious sari-clad women requesting ice lollipops - a seemingly mundane event that led to a sudden illness. Upon consulting a traditional healer, he was told the women were divine manifestations. When he later visited the temple to seek forgiveness, he was stunned to find that two of the temple’s goddess idols resembled the women he had met.
Devotees flock here seeking protection, healing, and blessings particularly from afflictions believed to be caused by spiritual disturbances or ancestral karma.
Address: Taman Bukit Kepayang, 70200 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan
Source / Image Credit : Mystical Temples of Malaysia