A spiritual leader has accidentally boiled himself alive inside a giant wok in front of many people during an endurance test.

Harrowing footage has emerged of a spiritual leader accidentally boiling himself to death in a giant wok during an endurance stunt in Malaysia.

Lim Ba, a 65-year-old Taoist psychic guru, was placed inside the large steel wok - heated on boiling water - to prove his "physical endurance" to his followers on Monday outside the Kuala Sanglang Qinglong temple.

Guru Lim Ba had reportedly performed the boiling stunt a number of times with a personal record of 75 minutes inside the steamer.

But this time, onlookers heard frantic knocks coming from inside the pan after 30 minutes and pulled Lim out unconscious.

The clip shows devotees in white suits desperately pulling Lim from the wok as he shakes in pain and fire rages below him.

The cult leader was rushed to hospital but was later pronounced dead from a suspected heart attack. He had also suffered second degree burns.

His devastated son Kang Huai, 32, said the family had pleaded with him to stop the bizarre ritual but he always refused.

Kang said: "The sounds coming from inside the wok were not regular and not normal so we knew there was something wrong.

"By the time the ambulance arrived, my father had stopped breathing. He underwent a heart bypass last year due to on-and-off breathing difficulties.

"My mother Ch’ng Siew Hong, my sisters and I are very sad. Our cheerful father has left us forever."

Lim had reportedly mastered the stunt over the last decade but it is not known why he failed at the latest routine filmed in the Malaysian town of Ayer Tawar.

Daughter Wei Ling, 37, said her father had been feeling unwell on the drive to to the temple and had "lost his appetite".

She added: ‘’He went ahead with the entertainment for his fans. He was happy to see them and they loved him.''

The temple has now cancelled all entertainment as a mark of respect for Lim.

Taoist officials said the steaming ritual was "not mainstream" but more of a "magic performance".

Federation of Taoist Associations of Malaysia president Tan Hoe Chioew said: "This steaming man ritual is rarely performed, and I dare not comment on what preparations are needed before you perform this. In general it is not advisable."