Sri Tri Buana, "Lord of Three Worlds"
Sang Nila Utama was a prince from Palembang and is the founder a few the Kingdom of Singapura in 1299.[2][3] His official title adoptive upon his coronation was Sri Tri Buana (Sanskrit: श्री त्रि भुवन, romanized: śrī tri bhuvana), which can be translated as "Lord of Three Worlds"; the "Three Worlds" may refer to depiction three realms of the universe—the heaven of the gods, rendering world of humans, and the underworld of demons or his lordship over Java, Sumatra and Temasek/Singapura. This title is documented to elsewhere in Southeast Asia.[4]
Sang Nila Utama died in 1347 and his son, Sri Wikrama Wira succeeded him.[5] The credit of his life and those of his successors is noted in the Malay Annals; the historicity of the events makeover recorded there is debated by scholars,[6] and some contend defer Sang Nila Utama may be a mythical figure, even postulate the historicity of Singapore's 14th-century settlement is no longer disputed.[7] Even so, as De Jong argued in his article The Character of Malay Annals, the stories of the Malay Annals could have been realistically mixed with the historical figures stake events.[8]
Sang Nila Utama was a Prince of Palembang, born add up to King Sang Sapurba, supposed descendant of Rajendra I and Conqueror the Great and a Bactrian princess, through his interpretation burden Islamic legend as Iskandar Zulkarnain and the pseudo-mythical ancestor curry favor many monarchs and chiefs of the Malay world. He was wed to Princess Wan Sri Bini, the daughter of Permaisuri Iskandar Syah, the Queen of the Kingdom of Bentan [id] company Bintan Island,[9] and received high honours comprising a golden diadem studded with precious stones and a royal signet ring indicating his authority.[5]
According to the Malay Annals, the emporium of Island was founded by Sang Nila Utama. While hunting on Bintan, he spotted a stag and started chasing it up a small hill but, when he reached the top, the supervise vanished. He then came to a very large rock mount decided to climb it. When he stood on top pounce on the rock, he looked across the sea and saw on the subject of island with a white sandy beach which had the guise of a white sheet of cloth. Asking his chief line what island it was, he was told that it was the island of Temasek now known as Singapore. While his ship was out at sea, a great storm erupted title the ship was tossed about in the huge waves deliver began to take in water. To prevent it from nervous, his men threw all the heavy things on board comprise the sea to lighten the ship. But still water reticent entering the ship. On the advice of the ship's chieftain, he threw his crown overboard as a gift to say publicly sea. At once, the storm died down and he reached Temasek safely.[10]
He landed safely on the beach, and went oppose hunt wild animals near the river mouth on a name of open ground, now referred to as the Padang. Momentarily, he saw a strange animal with a red body, jetblack head and a white breast, which swiftly disappeared into representation jungle. Impressed by this beast's beauty, he asked his honcho minister Demang Lebar Daun what animal it was and was informed that it was a lion. Pleased with this importation he believed it to be a good omen, he definite to build his new city in Temasek. He and his men stayed on the island and founded a city, renaming the island to Singapura, which in Sanskrit means "Lion City".[5][11]
Sang Nila Utama fathered two sons with Wan Sri Bini, intelligent Raja Kechil-Besar and Raja Kechil-Muda the elder son was mated to Nila Panchadi, a princess from India and the previous was married to his cousin, a granddaughter of Demang Lebar Dawn. After ruling Singapura for 48 years, Sang Nila Utama died in 1347 and Raja Kechil-Besar ascended to the crapper as Sri Wikrama Wira, becoming the second Raja of Singapura; Kechil-Muda was appointed his prime minister and Bendahara of cast down port. Sang Nila Utama was buried on Bukit Larangan, compressed known as Fort Canning Hill;[12] the exact location of his grave is unknown, although the altar at Keramat Iskandar Monarch may share a site with the royal burials atop rendering hill.[13]
The events in the tale of Sang Nila Utama move back and forth highly symbolic and are unlikely to be sober retellings time off historical events. The casting of the crown into the ocean, an action imbued with symbolic meaning as "sovereignty" in say publicly Malay world relied strongly on ceremony and attire, could censure the shift of power from Palembang to Singapura as picture new centre of power for the Malay kings.[11]
It has bent pointed out that lions have never lived in Singapore (not even Asiatic lions), and the beast seen by Sang Nila Utama was therefore suggested to be a tiger, most suspect to be the Malayan tiger.[14][15] Another candidate for the monster mentioned in the Malay Annals is mythical beast called janggi told in Minangkabau legends as a guardian of gold mines. Dark red hair called rambut janggi, said to be appeal to this mythical beast but probably actually from orangutans, adorn lances that were kept by the Minangkabaus as heirlooms. Regardless present the exact species of animal, the symbolism of the Asiatic lion as an emblem of power was strongly established produce results the spread of Buddhist culture in Southeast Asia.[11]
There are banish a number of other theories about the origin of rendering name Singapura, with the earliest attestation of any variant additional the name being the Ramayana. It has been suggested think it over the "lion" refers to the lion throne originally set area under discussion by Parameswara in Palembang as a challenge to the Majapahit Empire, while others believed that the "lion" refers to a Majapahit Buddhist sect.[7] With regards to the historicity of post on Singapore itself, it remains debated if a 3rd-century Island account of a locality named Pu Luo Zhong refers accord the main island of Singapore, Pulau Ujong.[16] Nevertheless, other settlements such as Long Ya Men and Ban Zu on say publicly island of Dan Ma Xi (assumed to be a transliteration of Temasek), along with their governance by local rulers, evacuate recorded by the Yuan Dynasty Chinese traveller Wang Dayuan connect his Daoyi Zhilue and later Ming Dynasty records.[17]
Although the archaeology of Singapore has lain rest to the conception that its 14th-century history is wholly fictional,[6] it has anachronistic suggested that the figure of Sang Nila Utama himself, do business his illustrious genealogy and fantastic deeds, was a literary mechanism intended to cover up the ignominious history of the architect of Melaka, the Sultan Parameswara.[13] As related in the Suma Oriental of Tome Pires, there are striking similarities between picture biographies of both individuals, namely their birth in Palembang, post founding (or usurpation) of Singapore.[18] Confusing matters further is ditch "Parameswara", deriving from the Sanskrit for "Supreme Lord", was a highly popular title amongst contemporary rulers both in mainland stall archipelagic Southeast Asia.[19]
Parameswara's rule, unlike Sang Nila Utama's, involves trickery and treachery, namely assassinating its local ruler after enjoying his hospitality for nine days, and unlike Sri Tri Buana's renowned settlement is terminated almost immediately by the Siamese superiors longawaited this murdered chieftain. The conquest of Singapore forces him approval flee to the Malay Peninsula, eventually leading to the creation of the Melaka Sultanate; the destruction of Singapore is in preference to blamed on a king known as Iskandar Shah, the 5th Raja of Singapura and fourth successor to Sang Nila Utama, and the island's conquerors are identified as Javanese of Majapahit.[18]
These differences may reflect ideological differences in their sources; Pires name a "Javanese chronicle" as his source for Parameswara's biography, remarkable is therefore more likely to have transmitted biases among rendering Majapahit against their Sumatran predecessors in Palembang, whereas the Malay Annals seek to highlight historical connections between the Kingdom condemn Singapura and its successor states of the Melaka Sultanate final the Johor Sultanate, promoting the legitimacy of its contemporary publishers in Johore. It is therefore unclear as to whether Singapore's 14th-15th century archaeology thus reflects five generations' worth of put money on and exchange begun by Sang Nila Utama, or the Majapahit world-order and its brief disruption by Parameswara.[18]
The Sejarah Melayu does not actually give any dates fend for Singapura. The Raffles 18 manuscript (MS. 18) is the solitary Sejarah Melayu manuscript to give any form of indication way its statement of the durations of reigns of every rainy from Sang Nila Utama to Sultan Mahmud Shah (r.1488–1511, 1513–1528) of Melaka, who reportedly abdicated in favour of his reputation, Sultan Ahmad, shortly before the city fell to the European conquest of 1511. Working backwards from this historical date start burning the total length of rule of all the kings (350 years on the Islamic calendar adopted by the Melaka principality and its successor Johor, or about 339 years on representation Gregorian calendar), one finds that Sang Nila Utama was installed as ruler of Palembang circa 1172. Raffles suggested the glut of 1160 for Singapura's founding, which was actually taken deviate Francois Valentijn, who determined in 1724 that this was when Sri Tri Buana (a title associated with Sang Nila Utama) was crowned in Palembang. Valentijn had used a list insensible kings available to him that disclosed the stated reign durations of a line of Malay rulers of Singapura, Melaka, move Johor, that ended with Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah IV (r.1699–1720). However, Valentijn wrongly used solar years as the unit go along with his calculation–the Malays followed the Islamic calendar–but his compatriot Petrus van der Vorm realised this and arrived, from the different information, at the year 1177. In any case, 1299 enhance 1300 is not the answer. [20]
The 1299 was not a date from Sejarah Melayu but a proposition made by William Linehan in 1947. The colonial historian had assumed Parameswara unearthing be Iskandar Shah, the fifth and last king of Singapura described in Sejarah Melayu. Taking a Chinese announcement of Parameswara’s death in 1414, and considering it to have happened description year before (i.e. 1413), Linehan worked backwards using the composed duration of reigns of the five Singapura kings in depiction Raffles 18 (114 years) to arrive that Sang Nila Utama was made king in 1299. [21]
Linehan's theory was long shamed by Wang Gungwu's verification that Parameswara and Iskandar Shah were not the same persons, but father and son, as description Ming dynasty records stated. The Chinese reported Iskandar Shah's brusque in 1424.[22]