THE OLD TEMPLE AT SIJUK VILLAGE

Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay.com Sijuk is a very old village in Belitung. It was a town of trade center where a great number of merchants from different places, islands or countries went there to make money long time ago. It is said that Admiral Cheng Ho of Ming Dynasty ever cast anchor at the river of Sijuk. It’s undoubtedly that Sijuk Town was quite well known in ancient days. It’s about 33 kilometers from Tanjung Pandan and is very convenient to go there by car or motorcycle or even bicycle if you like cycling. The scenery is so beautiful along the way that you can hardly see in a big city. Whenever you reached the iron bridge, you’ll see an old temple a few meters from the roadside. It is the temple of the Lord of Land and Prosperity and it was built in 1815. However, this ancient temple has been renovated and it doesn’t look like an old temple anymore. According to the legend, the Lord of Land and Prosperity was a king named Thio Hok Tek. When he ruled h...