The story of Sang Nila Utama.
We know of Raffles and the Singapore Treaty, but how about Sang Nila Utama? If you have a few minutes to spare on an incredible tale on how Singapore got it's name, read on!
There are variations and interpretations from the Sejarah Melayu (or the Malay Annals) of Sang Nila Utama's story, but one tells of an Indian prince, Raja Culan, who married a fairy princess who lived beneath the sea.
From this union, three young princes were born, appearing on the summit of a hill in Palembang. One of the three was Sang Nila Utama. Eventually, Sang Nila Utama embarked on an expedition to explore and discover new sites, landing on Bintan Island, which was ruled by Queen Sakidar Shah. One day from the top of a rock at Tanjong Bemian, he saw another island with a beach of sand so white that it looked like a sheet of cloth. This, he was told, was Temasek. (Archaeological research has shown that Singapore's south shore in the early 14th century was in fact a bright, white beach of fine white sand.)
Sang Nila Utama sailed toward the island, but a storm struck and his ship began to flounder. Everything was thrown overboard to lighten the boat as they drifted helplessly toward Telok Blangah, until it was suggested that Sang Nila Utama throw his crown overboard to save the crew. When he did, the weather was immediately calmed.
Hunting on open ground at Kuala Temasek (the mouth of the Temasek River, the open ground being the present-day Pandang near the Singapore River), Sang Nila Utama and his party saw a strange animal. It disappeared before they could identify it, but one of Sang Nila Utama's men suggested that it could be a lion.
Sang Nila Utama then decided to name the island settlement Singapura, meaning "Lion City" where singa, in Sanskrit means "lion", and pura means "city". Sang Nila Utama then sent word back to Bintan that he would not return, but would establish a city at Temasek, now named Singapura.
According to the Sejarah Melayu, Sang Nila Utama ruled for 48 years before he died, and was buried 'on the hill of Singapura'. This helps to explain why the inhabitants of Singapore in 1819 were in awe of the hill, then called Bukit Larangan, now known as Fort Canning Hill.
