The Keramat Kusu is a Datuk Keramat shrine located on Kusu Island. It is a religious complex containing three enshrined Muslim tombs. The shrine is visited every year as part of a pilgrimage to Kusu Island. In 2022, the shrine was damaged by a large fire and is currently undergoing restoration.
The exact date of construction of the shrine is not known, but some early reports state it was built in 1889.[1] The entombed, Sayyid 'Abd al-Rahman, known locally as "Datok Kong" is said to have lived in the 19th centuries CE.[2][3] A letter dated to 9 March 1875 mentions the shrine's existence under the name "Datok Kramat" and also mentions the annual pilgrimages held to the site.[4] The shrine received renovation in 1917 and was expanded in 1921.[5] However, the shrine seemingly did not have any association with any saint at first, as a 1932 newspaper article describes the shrine in detail but only attributes the grave to be that of a "Malay fisherman."[6] The shrine only became known with the name of Syed Abdul Rahman reportedly in 1948.[7][8]
Keramat Kusu was almost completely destroyed by a large fire on 17 April 2022.[5][9] The cause of the fire has not been determined.[5][9] Restoration works are undergoing, as of 2022.[5]
Mythology
The traditional legend behind the entombed of Keramat Kusu has two variations.
The first version, it is said that the entombed was a Malay sailor or fisherman.[10] In the second version, it is said that the entombed is Sayyid 'Abd al-Rahman, an Arab immigrant, and buried with him were his mother Nenek Ghalib and his daughter Puteri Sharifah Fatimah.[8][10]
The second version of the legend is the most commonly followed; the current shrine has graves for all three of the aforementioned.[5][8][10][11] The inscriptions at the keramats described that in 1917 Nenek Ghalib appeared in the dreams of a Straits Chinese man, Hoe Beng Whatt, and requested for the keremat to be built.[12] In return, he would be rewarded with success as well as donors who contributed to the construction of the keramat.[12]
At least one source claims that the graves in the shrine are merely symbolic cenotaphs that do not hold any human remains.[3]
Significance
The shrine is popular amongst childless couples, who pray there to have children.[2][10]
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