Mount Meru Abode of Gods to Bukit Seguntang to Bukit Langaran Singapura • Fort Canning Hill

Snow capped Mount Kailash in the Himalayas is the mythical Mount Meru - the centre of the universe, home of the gods in Hinduism (as well as Buddhism and Jainism).

Lord Vishnu and wife Lakshmi on Mount Meru.

Mount Meru is where heaven and earth meet, where mortals meet the gods.

Hindu rulers receive their legitimacy to rule from the gods. Hindu kings are god-kings, they are gods on earth who are empowered by the gods of heaven.

The architectural design of Hindu (and also Buddhist) temples symbolise or represent the abode of the gods at Mount Meru.

For example, the Kailasha temple in Mahabharata, India has a central tower representing Mount Meru which is surrounded by eight smaller towers.

Ancient Indian two-mast ocean going ship.

Indian traders and priests on trading missions brought Hinduism (and Buddhism), Indian statecraft, culture and art to mainland Southeast Asia and the Malay Archipelago (Nusantara).

This led to Indianised kingdoms and empires such as the Khmer, Sri Vijaya, and Majapahit empires in mainland Southeast Asia and Nusantara.

Angkor Wat in today's Cambodia was built in the 12th century during the reign of King Suryavarman II.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram in Ayutthaya, Thailand was built in the 17th century.

Borobudur was built in the 7th century by the Sailendra empire in Java.

Pura Ulun Danu Beratan in Bali was built in the 17th century.

There are many variations on how Mount Meru is represented depending on local conditions, culture and era, but the basic structure of Hindu (and Buddhist) temples / sacred / important places such as palaces consists of a central tall building surrounded by an even number of smaller, lower buildings.

The Hindu-Buddhist Sri Vijaya empire ruled Sumatra and west Java from 671 to 1025.

The Mount Meru, sacred hill of Sri Vijaya empire was at Bukit Seguntang at Palembang.

According to the Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals), Bukit Seguntang was where a demigod named Sang Sapurba descended to earth. He later become the ancestor of kings of Sri Vijaya, Singapura, and Malacca.

By 1299, the Sri Vijaya empire was in its last legs. One of its princes, Sang Nila Utama set off to the north and landed on the island of Temasek.

Sang Nila Utama decided to set up his kingdom here which he called Singapura, the Lion City.

The Mount Meru of the kingdom of Singapura was on Bukit Langaran, the Forbidden Hill. Forbidden likely because it was a most sacred place, royal Hindu-Buddhist temple, palace, birth and burial place of kings, abode of the gods, home of god-kings - all at once.

It is today's Fort Canning Hill.

The kingdom of Singapura existed from 1299 to 1398. In 1398, either the Majapahit empire from Java or the Ayutthaya empire from Siam invaded Singapura, pillaged and burnt it to the ground leaving not much physical evidence of Singapura's existence. The last king of Singapura fled to Malacca and founded the kingdom of Malacca (which later became the Malacca Sultanate).

For the next 500 years after Singapura's sacking, forests reclaimed the ruins of Bukit Langaran.

This was what John Crawford, the second British Resident (governor) of Singapore saw when he visited Bukit Langaran in the 1820s.

Among the ruins, John Crawford found fourteen sandstone blocks each with a hole in the middle, surrounding a larger hollow. He speculated that this might be the remains of a place of worship (its wooden superstructure evaporated with time).

Even these remains were demolished when the British turned Bukit Langaran into a fort which they named Fort Canning.

Besides temples, the symbolism of Mount Meru is also found in cuisine.

In Java, Indonesia, nasi tumpeng is the main dish at the centre of selamatan or communal gatherings for rite of passage events such as births, birthdays, marriage, and death since pre-Islamic times. Today, nasi tumpeng is also served during circumcision, anniversaries, graduations or any reason to celebrate together.

Nasi tumpeng is presented with a cone of boiled / steamed rice surrounded with side dishes on a rattan tray. Like Hindu-Buddhist temples, it symbolises Mount Meru.

There are many different side dishes with many interpretations today for their inclusion. There could be fried chicken, fish, tempe (fermented soy bean), vegetables, herbs / aromatics, etc. In the original versions, the dishes represent the smaller peaks around Mount Meru and were always in even number of dishes.

Whenever I have the chance to enjoy nasi tumpeng, I am reminded about the story of Bukit Langaran / Fort Canning Hill, the Mount Meru of the kingdom of Singapura. My mind also go back to Sri Vijaya and to the Himalayas. I am a dreamy person.