Broga, which spans the states of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, possesses a refreshing hilly natural landscape, as well as captivating local myths and legends that gave birth to a localized folk religion – Sak Dato.
In the mid-19th century, a batch of Hakkanese from HuiZhou in GuangDong, China, left their beloved hometown to become tin miners at Broga, which was still wilderness at the time. Upon settling down, due to being unaccustomed to the climate, along with poor living conditions, they suffer from illness. An indigenous man named Aman, who was warm-hearted and compassionate, always gathered medicinal herbs to help cure the miners’ illness. He lived in a stone cave along the path leading to the mining area, hence the miners refer to him as Sak Man. Word has it Sak Man vanished one day, and visited the miners’ dreams to inform them he had ascended to heaven, and was appointed by the Jade Emperor to safeguard the region. The miners went to investigate the stone cave, and found Sak Man’s remains in a termite nest. They buried him on the spot and erected a temple to pay respects to him.
Over the years, whenever confronted with difficulties, Broga villagers sought advice or herbal remedies from Sak Dato. Sak Dato is very efficacious, therefore villagers would send wooden plaques as a token of appreciation. In the early days, the temple was merely a shabby zinc hut, visited by local villagers. In 1991, FengShui master Chen WenGuo chanced to visit, and found that the temple was facing the wrong direction. After gaining Sak Dato’s approval, he reconstructed the temple into an auspicious facing direction. Master Chen offered help free of charge, under one condition: the temple committee must utilize money received from devotees for charity. The following year, upon completion of rebuilding works, the temple became popular and devotees flocked to visit.
As the number of devotees increases, 30% of donations to the temple are allocated to charity; the rest are used for beautifying the temple grounds, administration and maintenance purposes. The “Garden of Virtuous Deeds” Foundation was established in 1993, distributing relief funds to the poor and the ill in Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur on a monthly basis, consecutively up to the 400th session at present. Thanks to the continual generous support of devotees, there were no interruptions even during the Movement Control Order. At the same time, the temple committee also sponsors Home for the Angels Care Centre, which takes in orphans and children from dysfunctional families.
In 2012, the Sak Dato Cultural Museum was established to preserve historical relics of the Chinese community, and spread awareness to the public about the hardships and struggles of the development of Chinese education in Malaysia. The statues of the three key figures of Chinese education in Malaysia (Lim Lian Geok, Sim Mow Yu, and Lok Ting Yee) on exhibition are from The Four Houses Of Red in Gemas.
Initially, upon construction of the Sak Dato Temple, the British colonial government allocated 1.7 acres of land. Over the years, the temple committee gradually purchased neighbouring plots of land, expanding and beautifying the temple grounds so that people not only come to worship, but also to exercise and relax. The temple also attracted tourists near and far, boosting local economic activities. To date, the temple spans 38 acres, with 10 acres pending development.
Sak Dato Temple plays an important role in the Broga neighbourhood; not only a place of worship, it is also a place for healthy recreational activities, a cultural centre passing on the historical heritage, and at the same time contributing to social welfare and helping the needy.
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Producer : Daniel Lim
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Drone : Daniel Lim
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