Simon Soon
Dato Koyah was said to escaped from Kerala to Penang, when he was wrongly accused of abetting in a murder.
He became known as a holy mendicant who performed miracles, curing the sick, helping the poor and unfortunate, and feeding large crowds from just a small earthen pot of porridge.
His fame grew as a “fakir” or “koyah”, a religious ascetic who lived solely on alms. He rested below a large tree from which he would pluck leaves to turn into remedy. He also worked as a construction worker,. A story has it that the Saint was among a number of road construction workers who protested against beatings inflicted by the British supervisors. When the workers were jailed, the Saint miraculously got out and on the next day, the road that they were building appeared to be completed. The story goes that he gained recognition from the British for his feat.
After he died sometime in 1840, the colonial administration provided a piece of land near the tree for a mausoleum in his honour. Since then, many have come to the site to seek his intercession for their problems. It also became a spiritual gathering place for Indian Muslims.
NOTES
Mahani Musa. 2015. Mosques and Keramats in Penang1730s - 2012. Penang: Think City.
