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Centrally located along important sea routes, an early account of sleepy little Singapore (noted in records as Pu Luo Chung by Chinese seafarers) first appeared in the third century. A thirteenth century legend next recalls how a Srivijayan prince named Sang Nila Utama was hunting in an area of the island known as Temasek (Sea Town) when he thought that he had ... |
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fortuitously sighted a magnificent lion (most likely a tiger). The prince was so pleased with his chance glimpse that he founded the city of Singapura (Lion City) on that very spot. It is believed that Singapura served for a period as a small port of trade that ultimately fell into obscurity due to continuing local warfare, power struggles, and piracy in the area. |
