It is generally accepted that the name Singapura came about when Sang Nila Utama, a Srivijavan empire prince from Palembang (in today's South Sumatra) spotted a fierce looking animal when he landed on the island of Temasek in 1299. The prince asked his grandfather Demang Lebar Daun what animal it was and was told that the creature was a lion or singha (in Sanskrit).
Whatever Sang Nila Utama and entourage saw fleetingly, they believed it was a good omen for establishing their kingdom, which they named Singapura which in Sanskrit means Lion City.
The kingdom of Singapura was a prosperous trading city and lasted 99 years over five reigns until it was razed in 1398 by either the Majapahit empire from Java or Ayutthaya empire from Siam.
As lions are obviously not native to Singapore, some people are led to dismiss the founding of Singapura by Sang Nila Utama (as narrated in the Malay Annals) as merely myth or legend.
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| The Kallang Park Lion in 1974. Image source: National Archives of Singapore |
Whatever Sang Nila Utama and party saw, it was clearly a case of mistaken identity. But, what was it about lions that Sang Nila Utama believed was a good omen for him to set down roots in Temasek? Certainly neither Sang Nila Utama, his grandfather nor anyone in his entourage had seen a lion before.
Sang Nila Utama was a prince of the Srivijaya empire which ruled today's peninsula Malaysia, Sumatra and most of Java from 671 - 1288. Srivijayan people practiced a syncretic blend of animism, Hinduism and Buddhism.
By 1299, when Sang Nila Utama left (actually fled) Palembang, most of the Srivijayan realm had already fallen under Majapahit empire rule (which lasted until 1527). Sang Nila Utama and his followers were trying to get out of the Majapahit empire's way when they arrived in Temasek
Why did Sang Nila Utama and his grandfather saw the supposed lion as a good omen and decided to establish his kingdom in Temasek?
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| Male Asiatic lion. Image source: Wikipedia |
There are native lions in India (only at Gir National Park now) though none in Southeast Asia. If there were no lions in Temasek or Indonesia, what lion was Sang Nila Utama and his grandfather thinking about?
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| Guardian Lion at Borobudur Buddhist Temple which opened in 825 AD in Central Java. Image source: Wikipedia |
As Palembang, the capital of the Srivijaya empire was the leading Buddhist spiritual and scholastic centre outside of India, Sang Nila Utama and Demang Lebar Daun may be thinking of the Buddhist lion. The lion in Buddhism is a symbol of royalty, strength and courage. The Buddha's voice is referred to as the “Lion’s Roar,” which symbolises the power of his teachings.
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| Yoga Narasingha, Vishnu in Man-Lion Avatar. Image source: Wikipedia |
As the Srivijaya empire practiced a syncretic blend of Animism, Hinduism and Buddhism, did Sang Nila Utama and Demang Lebar Daun also believed that they saw a vision of Narasingha, the Fourth Avatar of Vishnu in that animal sighting in Temasek? (Narasingha in Sanskrit, nara means "man" and singha means "lion".)
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| Narasingha. Image source: Jenikirbyhistory |
Narasingha (also known as Narasimha) is the fiercest avatar of Lord Vishnu where he slew the demon king Hiranyakashipu.
When Hiranyakashipu's son Prahlad was born, Lord Vishnu blessed Prahlad. Hence, despite being the son of demon king Hiranyakashipu, Prahlad had divine qualities. When Hiranyakashipu found out about his son’s devotion to Lord Vishnu, he ordered his servants to kill his son. But, all his servants' attempts failed.
One day, demon king Hiranyakashipu challenged his son to hug a red hot pillar to see if Lord Vishnu would come to Prahlad’s aid or not. Prahlad embraced the hot pillar but it did not burn him. The furious demon king smashed the pillar with his mace, breaking it open and Lord Vishnu emerged from it in the form of Narasingha.
After a fierce struggle, Narasingha held Hiranyakashipu on his lap and ripped him apart with his claws. Lord Vishnu saved Prahlad, made him the king, thus restoring peace and prosperity in the land.
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| Lion at Merdeka Bridge 1956. Image source: National Archives of Singapore |
Did Sang Nila Utama believed his supposed lion sighting was a sign that he had the blessing of Lord Vishnu / Narasingha to establish his Singapura kingdom in Temasek? Did he also believed he had the blessing of Buddha as he practiced a syncretic form of Animism, Hinduism and Buddhism?
This is what I believe now.
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There are a few other places in India and Southeast Asia which are also named Lion City in Sanskrit.
🦁Singapura in North Bengaluru, India was founded over 500 years ago (which makes it only slightly younger or about the same vintage as Sang Nila Utama's Singapura). Singapura of Bengaluru still goes by its ancient name. Recently, this Singapura was in the news because locals objected to the local government's attempt to rename a lake in Singapura to "Bhagawan Buddha Babasaheb Dr. Ambedkar Lake Park". In another development, a 500 year old stone inscription was accidentally discovered in Singapura in 2018.
🦁Sing Buri was established in central Thailand around the seventh century. The 220,000 strong province is just 150km north of Bangkok.
🦁Simhapura today's Trà Kiệu in Vietnam was the capital of the Hindu kingdom of Champa from the 4th to 8th century. Simhapura, like the Hindu Champa kingdom no longer exists.
🦁Singapura was a kingdom in West Java believed to exist in the 12th century based on artefacts excavated from today's Mertasinga Village near Cirebon (a coastal city) in Java. In fifteenth century Javanese inscriptions, Singapura was mentioned as a Majapahit empire vassal. Historians couldn't agree whether this Majapahit vassal was referring to the Singapura in Java or Sang Nila Utama's Singapura kingdom.
References:
There they saw an animal extremely swift and beautiful, its body of a red colour, its head black and its breast white, extremely agile, and of great strength, and its size a little larger than a he-goat. When it saw a great many people, it went towards the inland and disappeared.
Sang Nila Utama enquired what animal was this, but none could tell him, till he enquired of Damang Lebar Daun, who informed him that in the histories of ancient time, the singha or lion was described in the same manner as this animal appeared... .
.... This is a fine place which contains so fierce and powerful an animal.
... thus Sang Nila Utama settled the country of Tamasak, named it Singhapura, and reigned over it, ... .
Extract from the Malay Annals Chapter 3 translated by Dr John Leyden
Images of Narasingha at Kai Yuan Hindu temple (established 686) in Quanzhou, Fujian, China
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