Keramat Bukit Kasita also known as the Tanah Kubur Raja (Jawi: مقبرة الملك; lit. "Royal Burial Ground") is a historic cemetery located within the Bukit Purmei housing estate in Bukit Merah, Singapore. In existence since the 17th century, the cemetery contains over two hundred graves, with the main segment of the burial ground comprising a 19th-century walled compound built in the style of Neoclassical architecture. The site is adjacent to the Telok Blangah neighborhood as well as the Keppel MRT station.
History The earliest burials at the site of Keramat Bukit Kasita date back to the 1610s and belong to Javanese nobility, some of which claimed descent from Sang Nila Utama, the legendary founder of Singapore.Tan, Spaces Of The Dead (2011) p. 8Tan, Spaces Of The Dead (2011) p. 214 The oldest surviving grave, however, dates back to 1721. The cemetery served the former settlement of Bukit Maula, which was later known as Radin Mas, named after the semi-legendary princess Radin Mas Ayu. Local tradition states that the burial ground was originally founded in the 1530s by Alauddin Riayat Shah II, founder of the Sultanate of Johor, although there is no evidence for this claim. The cemetery saw widespread usage during the 19th century, with several graves dating to the reign of Sultan Hussein Shah. The walls surrounding the cemetery were also built around the same time. In the 1930s, Haji Abdul Halim bin Karto, founder of Masjid Al-Huda, built a mosque at the entrance of Keramat Bukit Kasita, which was later named Masjid Kampong Bahru in reference to the nearby road.NSC Highlights (2018) p. 12 Later in 1954, the site was registered under the name "Tanah Kubor Raja" in the colonial street directory and described as being the burial place of a group of Bugis immigrants who had accompanied the Temenggongs of Johor.Gibson, Keramat Catalogue (2022) p. 464
By the late 1970s, Keramat Bukit Kasita had become situated in the midst of the high-rise housing in the newly-built Bukit Purmei residential estate. Burials in the cemetery had officially ceased by 1973, along with other Islamic cemeteries outside of Choa Chu Kang such as the Kubur Kassim cemetery and the burial ground of Fatimah binte Sulaiman at Beach Road. The mosque at the cemetery was also decommissioned and hence did not appear on the official registry of the local Islamic council, the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura.NSC Highlights (2018) p. 8 Despite the fact that the cemetery was no longer active, the enshrined grave of Raja Iskandar, a relative of Sultan Hussein Shah, was still visited by locals in the area by the 1990s.
Keramat Bukit Kasita is generally not open to the public. However, devotees and visitors are allowed to access the archway and patio of the cemetery.Faisal, The Grave That Became A Shrine (2019) p. 51–52 Visitors are also required to wear clothing that covers their knees to enter the premises, while flash photography is not permitted in the cemetery.Gibson, Keramat Catalogue (2022) p. 467Faisal, The Grave That Became A Shrine (2019) p. 4
Architecture The core of Keramat Bukit Kasita is a walled enclosure, with the entrance and carved stone walls exhibiting Neoclassical architecture, a style common for the 19th century in Singapore.NSC Highlights (2018) p. 9 The enclosure has fifty-six graves belonging to members of royal lineage as well as followers of Sufi orders, with yellow shrouds over the tombstones indicating the burial of an entombed royalty, while a green shroud indicates the grave of a Sufi. There are two main keramats in the compound, which belong to relatives of Sultan Hussein Shah named Iskandar and Mohamed, the former being described as being an Islamic sage. Additionally, there are unmarked graves belonging to followers of the Wahhabi sect.Faisal, The Grave That Became A Shrine (2019) p. 3 Towards the northeastern end of the compound are tombs belonging to Raja Ahmad and Ungku Fatimah, two descendants of the Temenggong of Johor.Rivers, Keramat in Singapore in the Mid-Twentieth Century (2003) At least two hundred tombs are present in the complex.
At the entrance of Keramat Bukit Kasita is a ruined mosque and former surau which now serves as an on-site residence for the caretaker.NSC Highlights (2018) pp. 10–11 A small group of tombs shrouded in green can be found behind a disused village house at the entrance as well. Metal bars and railings were also installed at the cemetery in 2017 for easier accessibility as well as increased security.Faisal, The Grave That Became A Shrine (2019) p. 90
Transportation Keramat Bukit Kasita is situated next to Block 102 of the Bukit Purmei residential estate, which is adjacent to Telok Blangah and is also within walking distance from the Keppel MRT station.
See also Keramat (shrine) Muslim cemeteries in Singapore
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