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The religious belief of theDatuk Keramat worship can be found inMalaysia,Singapore and along theStrait of Malacca. It is a fusion ofMalaysian folk religion,Sufism, andChinese folk religion in Southeast Asia.
In Malay,datuk means a village chief, a grandfather, or person in a high position andkeramat is anArabic loanword associated with Sufism that means "sacred, holy, blessed, mystical, supernatural, highly respected".
Worshippers usually offer flowers, fruits, rice and vegetable to the shrines. Benzoin is also burnt to emit a smoky fragrant smell as part of the ritual.
According to local legends, alldatuks were once humans who had a standing in society either for their position or special attributes. They could have been an important leader, a renowned healer, asilat warrior, a landlord, a pious man or even a respectabledukun,pawang orbomoh. Upon their death, locals and their followers would sometimes offer prayers at their gravestones, in line with the concept ofkeramat. In several cases, a largeanthill structure was present on the grave. With the arrival of Chinese immigrants who carried along with them the Confucian belief ofAncestral Worship and their respect for Nature, both practices converged and formed a new micro-culture as observed today. Datuks, referred to in Chinese asNa Tuk Kong, is considered a localised form in worship of the spirit of the land, along withTu Di Gong (Earth Deities).
Keramat is a small yellow-coloured painted shrines that can be found along sidewalks or under trees in Malaysia. These shrines are usually worshipped by residents living nearby. The shrines are normally of a fusion Chinese-Malay design, withIslamic elements such as the crescent moon decorations. Inside the shrine, a small, decorated statue or a piece of stone (wrapped in yellow cloth) is venerated, representing thedatuk. Offerings are brought and placed around thedatuk, or sometimes on a small altar in front of it.
One belief is that there are a total of nine types ofdatuks, and that each of them were once great warriors and expert in Malay local martial arts, thesilat except for the lastdatuk. They were also known to possess great magical powers. Worshippers usually pray todatuks for protection, good health, and good luck, and sometimes seek divine help to overcome their problems.
Below are the ninedatuks from the eldest to the youngest:
1.Datuk Panglima Ali (Ali)
2.Datuk Panglima Hitam (Black)
3.Datuk Panglima Harimau (Tiger)
4.Datuk Panglima Hijau (Green)
5.Datuk Panglima Kuning (Yellow)
6.Datuk Panglima Putih (White)
7.Datuk Panglima Bisu (Mute)
8.Datuk Panglima Merah (Red)
9.Datuk Panglima Bongsu (Youngest)
The structure ofdatuk worship is diversified according to localities. For example, in the old quarters of Georgetown, the presence of The Seven Brothers orTujuh Beradik is common while in the royal town of Klang in Selangor, most of the spirits worshipped are believed to be members of the royal court (sultans, officers, warriors etc.), each with their own unique identity.
Worshippers usually offer fresh flowers,sireh (betelnuts),rokok daun (local hand rolled cigarettes), slicedpinang (areca nuts) and local fruits. An important part of the praying ritual is also to burn somekemenyan (benzoin, made from a local gum tree, when burnt emit a smoky fragrant smell).
If their prayers are answered, the worshippers usually return to the shrine and make offerings or hold akenduri (feast). Another common practise is for individuals to renovate the shrines to create a better looking shrine for thedatuk. In most places where there is a heavy presence ofdatuk spirits, it is common to see shrines becoming larger over time, especially if individuals consider thedatuk to be 'powerful'.
Thekenduri items usually consist of yellow saffron rice, lamb or chicken curries, vegetables,pisang rastali (bananas), young coconuts, rose syrup,cherrots (local cigars) and local fruits.
Pork items are considered impure and are therefore forbidden in shrines; visitors are also asked to not show disrespect when inside or around a shrine.
