Wrath of a deity?

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Temple fire linked to a god’s anger at being removed from his position on the central altar

RIGHT ORDER: All the deities will be placed in this new temple where the name of Jee Sai Peh on a yellow signboard is placed above Guan Yin’s.

MYSTERY continues to shroud the burning of the Temple of Tang Hua Court – Sibu’s second oldest temple after the Tau Pek Kong Temple – situated at Bukit Assek Road. Is the fire a punishment from an enraged deity?

Temple committee chairman Lau Yew Hung said there was such a claim when a blaze badly scorched the temple on Wesak Day last month but he could not confirm speculations that the incident was sparked by deity-related wrath.

He said the committee accepted it as fate – and also as a possible message from the deity to map out the future development of the temple.

“We are now carrying out repairs to the temple and once these are completed, the statues of the various deities will be installed in their proper places in the new temple. Hopefully, this will bring a happy closure to the claim of diety intervention.”

According to Lau, the ‘enraged deity’ story began three years ago.

Jee Sai Peh (the deity), the second of the three Zheng Brothers, occupied the central altar in the temple where devotees worshipped him and the other gods.

Lau said in 2008, the committee pooled their resources to buy a parcel of land to build a new temple.

“We wanted to build a bigger temple for Jee Sai Peh who is the main deity of Tang Hua Court. He will be flanked by the other gods.”

Initially, the committee sought donations under the Jee’s name but when the project was almost completed, they suggested since the existing Tang Hua Court Temple was already dedicated to Jee, the new one would be named after another god.

Lau said the committee decided to name the new (and bigger) temple after Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy.

According to him, fire broke out after they put the name of Guan Yin up at the main entrance of the new temple. The incident also occurred on an important spiritual day – Wesak Day.

Speculations were rife at the time that the committee’s decision could have angered Jee Sai Peh because he was supposed to be the main deity of Tang Hua Court – not Guan Yin.

There were also people who claimed public donations for the new temple were made in Jee’s name but he was bypassed in the naming of the new temple.

Others maintained that Guan Yin’s statue in the new temple hall was in a “supreme position” because the hall was built on higher ground overlooking the “old house” of Jee.

Both instances, it is widely believed, could have angered Jee Sai Peh.

In the Wesak Day incident, the fire was said to have started near the statues of Jee Sai Pek and the other gods.

Recalled Lau: “The fire broke out near midnight. A neighbour saw smoke rising and called the fire department.”

He said the fire was quickly put out and only a small section of the temple was damaged. Then, an unexplained incident occurred.

When the committee rushed to the temple after the firemen had put out the blaze, Lau told them they could repair the damage and Jee Sai Peh would be put back on the altar in the existing temple.

However, just five hours after he said that, the fire started again, and this time, the statues of Jee and the other gods were completely destroyed. According to Lau, only Guan Yin’s statue was untouched.

Was this a sign of Jee Sai Peh’s wrath and his demand that he be honoured with the rightful position on the central altar in the new temple?

Lau said he could not say for sure but after the fire, the committee decided to move all the deities into the new temple and would use the existing temple for other purposes after the repairs were completed.

He added that Jee Sai Peh would now take his place at the central altar in the new temple while Guan Yin’s statue would be moved to the side hall.

However, Guan Yin’s name was not taken down. Rather, Jee Sai Peh’s name was placed above Guan Yin’s in Tang Hua Court.

As all the other statues were destroyed in the fire, orders had been placed for new ones from China.

“The shipment will arrive in December. The restoration project will be over by then and all the deities will be moved into the new temple,” Lau said.

The frontage of the temple will be turned into an opera stage while the rest of the premises will be used to house a museum, an administration office and a store room.

Lau revealed the present opera stage would be demolished for a bigger compound.

The other statues gutted in the Wesak Day fire included those of Tua Pek Kong, the three brothers of Zheng (including Jee Sai Peh), Chen Liu Gong, Marshal Tian Du and Master Zhu Yi Gui.

Lau said the repairs would cost about RM200,000 and public donations totalled about 10 per cent of the amount so far.

“We are seeking more donations to defray the remaining costs.”

As for the six destroyed statues, he said the public had contributed towards the purchase of those of Jee Sai Peh and Marshal Tian Du and more donations were needed for the other four.

Lau said the statues were partially gold plated and quite expensive. The statues of the three Zheng Brothers come with dragon thrones.

Those wishing to donate to the repairs of the temple or the purchase of the statues can contact the temple committee secretary Lau Ing Lu (0198376610), committee member Ong King Choon (0168937752), general affairs head Hu Duong Huat (0198083347) or Lau himself (0198599505).

While some might want to make a full donation, others could make a partial donation for the statues.

“We welcome any amount,” Lau said.

The first wooden Tang Hua Court Temple was built at Bukit Assek Road.

Later, it was replaced by a concrete building. By 2012, the new Tang Hua Court Temple will stand tall under the sun.