Sang Nila Utama - Founding of Singapura

Founding of Singapura

Sang Nila Utama was a prince of Palembang, which was then the capital of the Sriwijaya empire. Wanting to find a suitable place for a new city, he decided to visit the islands off the coast of Palembang South Sumatra. He set sail in a number of ships as in a fleet. He and his men reached the Riau Islands and were welcomed by the queen. A few days later, Sang Nila Utama went to a nearby island on a hunting trip.

While hunting, he spotted a deer or stag and started chasing it up a small hill but when he reached the top, the deer or stag vanished but he came to a very large rock and decided to climb it. When he stood on top of the rock, he looked across the sea and saw another island with a white sandy beach which had the appearance of a white sheet of cloth.

Asking his Chief Minister what land it was, he was told that it was the island of Temasek. He then decided to visit Temasek. However, when his ship was out into the sea, a great storm erupted and the ship was tossed about in the huge waves. The ship began to take in water.

To prevent it from sinking, his men threw all the heavy things on board into the sea to lighten the ship. But still water kept entering the ship. On the advice of the ship's Captain that he was being stopped by his grandfather the Lord of the Sea, he threw his crown overboard as a gift to his grandfather. At once, the storm died down and he reached Temasek safely. (Another version of the legend stated that his crown was too heavy for his ship.)

He landed at the mouth of the present-day Singapore River and went inland to hunt wild animals. Suddenly, he saw a strange animal with an orange body, black head and a white neck breast. It was a fine-looking animal and moved with great speed as it disappeared into the jungle.

He asked his chief minister what animal it was, and was told that it probably was a lion. However, recent studies of Singapore indicate that lions have never lived there (not even Asiatic lions), and the beast seen by Sang Nila Utama was likely a tiger, most likely the Malayan Tiger. However, it was refuted by some that since tigers were a norm in ancient Southeast Asian regions, Sang Nila Utama and his men could have easily distinguish a tiger when they see one. There has been speculation that the animal was indeed not a lion but a mythical creature that resembled one, which was regarded as the guardian of Temasek.

He was pleased with this as he believed it to be a good omen—a sign of good fortune coming his way. Thus, he decided to build his new city in Temasek. He and his men stayed on the island and founded a city in 1324.

He renamed this city "Singapura". "Singa" is a Malay word for lion which itself derived from Sanskrit word "Singha" (सिंह) of the same meaning, and "Pura" (पुर) means Temple in Malay or Town in Sanskrit. The name thus means the "Lion City". He established diplomatic ties with China, and was officially recognised as the ruler of Singapore by an envoy of Chinese emperor in 1366. Sang Nila Utama ruled Singapura for 48 years and was buried on the foot of Bukit Larangan (present-day Fort Canning Hill). It was said that he was buried beside his wife, but the tombs and remains of he and his wife have not been located. Some believed that his body was actually the body that belongs to Keremat (Malay word for tomb or shrine) Iskander Shah.