A homage to culture and heritage

Nirvana Memorial Park (Shah Alam) is the second of Nirvana Asia Group’s memorial parks to be located in the state of Selangor. Situated in the state capital of Shah Alam and less than 30km from Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya, the memorial park is a collaborative effort between Nirvana Asia and the state government to develop a final resting place to serve the burgeoning city’s population and is equipped with modern crematoria facilities.

The memorial park is unique for its thematic focus on celebrating Chinese culture. From this idea arose beautifully landscaped gardens that complement the perfectly manicured and organized thematic burial sites synonymous with Nirvana Asia. Perhaps the most noteworthy aspects of Nirvana Memorial Park (Shah Alam) are its magnificent columbaria, namely the Heritage Courts, Tang Villas, and Ming Palaces, which feature multiple traditional Chinese architectural styles.

The Tang Villas, for instance, are designed based on the traditional Chinese “siheyuan” or courtyard houses found in Beijing and rural Shanxi. Signifying family unity, wealth, and prosperity, Nirvana recreates the style to promote the same values for a new generation and encourage appreciation of cultural heritage. The crowning jewel of Nirvana Memorial Park (Shah Alam) is the Ming Palace III, the largest and most spectacular of the three Ming Palace Columbaria complexes. Its wondrous and opulent interior design echoes the magnificent Lingshan Brahma Palace from which it draws inspiration.

The spectacular buildings create a fantastic backdrop for various Chinese festivals celebrated annually at the memorial park. It is part of Nirvana Asia’s drive to transform public perception of cemeteries as sombre places and to reintroduce the value of filial piety through reverence for ancestors as part of traditional celebrations such as the Chinese New Year and Mid-autumn Festival.