A century-old Hindu temple in Malaysia is to set formal quality standards for its services, in what is believed to be a world first, an official said today.

S Anandakrishnan, president of the Sri Sundararaja Perumal temple, said it would standardise its religious activities and set guidelines for priests after securing a certificate from the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).

"By implementing this basic practice for each religious ceremony, I feel everyone will get consistent output in terms of temple service," he was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

"Other temples are not bound to follow our standard operating procedure, but we want people to know we provide quality services."

Anandakrishnan said standardising the religious procedure meant "devotees will enjoy quality service during weddings and other ceremonies."

The Sri Sundararaja Perumal temple, located in the port town of Klang, west of Kuala Lumpur, is known as "Thirupati of South East Asia" after the famous Thirupati temple in India, and was built more than 100 years ago.