In Malaysia stands the statue of a Scottish man
on top of a Hindu temple next to Hindu deities
who is this Scot worthy of standing next to gods?
he was William Kellie-Smith who owned the
land the temple was built on and paid to have
the temple built.
he had it built for craftsman from Madras, India
he paid to build a castle for him in Malaysia
the craftsman wanted the temple for divine
protection when in 1918 several of them
died from the Spanish flu.
inside the temple, hangs a photo of Kellie
with a string of fresh flowers around it.
who’d have thought one would find a statue
of a Scotsman worthy of standing with gods
on top of a Hindu temple in Malaysia?
Bob Boyd