Sang Nila Utama
Sang Nila Utama (literally the "main indigo" or could also be, if pronounced differently, "Nila=Moon in Tamil and Utama=Primary) was a Srivijayan prince from Palembang who founded the kingdom of Singapura in 1324 .[1] He was officially styled as Sri Maharaja Sang Utama Parameswara Batara Sri Tri Buana (meaning: "Lord Central King Batara of Three world Realms", signifying his lordship over Palembang, Bintan and Singapore). Sang Nila Utama strengthened his position by establishing powerful relationships with China, and officially recognized as the ruler of Singapore by an envoy of Chinese emperor in 1366. He died in 1372 and succeeded by his son, Pekerma Wira.[2]
[edit] The founding of Singapura
Sang Nila Utama was a prince of Palembang, which was then the capital of the Srivijayan 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 blew up 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 a orange body, black head and a white 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.[3][4] 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.
He renamed this city "Singapura". "Singa" is a Malay word for lion[5] which itself derived from Sanskrit word "Singha" (सिंह) of the same meaning, and "Pura" (पुर) means city in Sanskrit .[6][7] The name thus means the Lion City. 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 his and his wife's bodies or remains were never found nor either their tombstones, till today. Some believed that his body is actually the body that belongs to Keremat (malay word for tomb or shrine) Iskander Shah.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Singapore. Ministry of Culture, Singapore. Ministry of Communications and Information. Information Division (1973). Singapore facts and pictures. Singapore: Ministry of Culture. pp. 9. ISBN 0217-7773.
- ^ "Ruling House of Malacca-Johor". Christopher Buyers. October 2008. http://www.royalark.net/Malaysia/malacca2.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
- ^ "Studying In Singapore". Search Singapore Pte Ltd. http://www.schools.com.sg/articles/aboutSingapore.asp. Retrieved 2006-04-14.
- ^ "Sang Nila Utama" (PDF). 24hr Art. http://www.24hrart.org.au/pdf's/Utama_Every.pdf. Retrieved 2006-04-14.
- ^ "Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu: Search: Singa". Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. http://prpm.dbp.gov.my/Search.aspx?k=Singa. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
- ^ Michael O'Mara (1999). Facts About the World's Nations. H. W. Wilson. p. 830. ISBN 978-0824209551.
- ^ Commonwealth Secretariat (2004). Commonwealth Yearbook 2006. Commonwealth Secretariat. p. 348. ISBN 978-0954962944.
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Sang Nila Utama
House of Srivijaya
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| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Position established |
Raja of Singapura 1324-1372 |
Succeeded by Pekerma Wira |
