By Loshinniy Nair S. Baskaran
31st March 2025 – Several Hindu temples in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor have been renamed as “Kuil Haram” on Google Maps, sparking outrage among the Malaysian Hindu community. The term “Kuil Haram” means “illegal temple” in Malay, and many see this as an attack on Hindu places of worship.
The controversy began after the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman temple on Jalan Masjid India, Kuala Lumpur, was involved in a dispute. Soon after, multiple temples across different locations were also marked as “Kuil Haram.” This has raised serious concerns about the misuse of Google Maps’ editing feature.
Google Maps allows users to suggest edits to place names, but these changes must go through a review process before approval. The fact that so many temples were renamed in a short time has led to speculation that this could be an act of targeted discrimination. Community leaders, activists, and politicians have strongly condemned the issue, urging Google to take immediate action.
Some temple authorities have already reported the name changes to Google in hopes of restoring the correct names. The affected communities are also calling on authorities to investigate whether this was an organized effort to undermine Hindu religious sites.
When we reached out to United Malaysian Hindu Voice (UMHV), Secretary, Ms. Praveeniah, emphasized that UMHV is actively addressing this issue. She urged the public to report any incorrect or offensive edits on Google Maps, assuring that UMHV will not stay silent when places of worship are targeted. “We are committed to protecting our temples and ensuring such incidents do not happen again,” she stated.
