Well preserved burial ground

The well maintained Lahat cemetery offering convenience to visitors. Photo courtesy by Sin Chew Daily.

(Sin Chew Daily) – Looking at the carvings on the ancient tombstones in Lahat cemetery, it is believed the burial ground has at least 160 years of history.

According to the old folks, the Lahat cemetery land was a gift from a tin miner subsequently administered by the Burial Ground Preservation Committee.

It is believed that the remains of tin miners hailing from southern China over a century ago were unattended to after they died as there were no proper burial grounds during that time. Thanks to the good works of a kind-hearted miner who purchased the land for burying the bodies of these early immigrants.

Middle of town

The Lahat cemetery located at a hidden place in town was initially 28 acres in size. Owing to the rapid development of Lahat, the cemetery found itself at the centre of Lahat town and is today surrounded by residential developments.

The burial ground is almost fully occupied and the committee is seeking approval from the state government to expand the plot to 34 acres. Among the facilities are:

– A temple for worshippers to offer prayers to Toa Peh Kong during the Cheng Meng festival..

– A pavilion for visitors to rest and take their meals.

– A general grave for the committee to bury all unclaimed bodies.

Located on a hill slope, the lower parts of Lahat cemetery experience water retention problems. Tens of thousands of ringgit has been spent on landfill over the years while underground drains have been installed to divert the water.

Flat cypress and other ornamental trees are planted all over the cemetery which is personally attended to by the committee chairman Wu Jian Ting.

Utmost care

Despite its 160 years of history, the Lahat cemetery is still well kept today, thanks to the hard work of the Preservation Committee.

Clearing weeds is the most tedious and time-consuming job. In line with the current trends in environmental protection, Lahat cemetery has stopped using herbicide spray starting from this year, using the weed cutter instead to get rid of the weeds.

The 123-year-old Yitt Seng Gong was established with a mission to manage the Lahat cemetery. Although the board of directors has changed so many times over the years, the effort of upkeeping the cemetery has never slackened the least.

When interviewed by Sin Chew Daily, Wu said the committee focused on planning the burial ground, improving the existing facilities and landscaping works.

The committee hopes to manage the cemetery in an organised manner so that people would not feel fearful when visiting the cemetery or passing by the site.

“It is a way to show oru gratitude for the ancestors and also a way to pass down the virtues of filial piety,” said Wu.

Vast expanse with unparallelled fengshui

Wu said the Lahat cemetery boasted a vast area with excellent fengshui and as such has attracted residents from nearby Menglembu, Bukit Merah, Pengkalan and Jelapang to purchase burial lands here.

Promotional offers are extended to residents from Batu Gajah and Menglembu to purchase ar double grave site for RM2,000 instead of RM8,000 charged to other buyers.

Wu added that proceeds from the sale of cemetery lands would be used to maintain the facilities. Annual expenses at Lahat cemetery exceed RM15,000 including RM1,500 monthly expenses on weeding.

RM10 maintenance fees from patrons

Deputy Chairman Feng Xiu Ying told Sin Chew Daily Lahat cemetery adopts a systematic management approach to enhance management efficiency, such as deploying committee members at entrances to collect RM10 maintenance fees from visitors during the Cheng Meng festival.

Feng said the collection of RM10 for each car is reasonable and some visitors pay extra as a token of appreciation for the committee’s effort in upkeeping the cemetery.

High cost of herbicide spray

Treasurer Lu Zhi Rong said Lahat cemetery used to implement herbicide spray. However, the weeds would become dry and would catch fire easily during the hot and dry season.

“Herbicide spray is costly in the long run as each spray could cost several thousand ringgit. This is why the committee has decided to hire workers to mow the grass,” said Lu.