Singa-putra = singapore?

[LENS]

Hi All,

I think singapore in malay is singapura.. i remember putra is center in malay?

Anyway, it means lion city..

and why? was there any lion in singapore?

Just curious. Thanks.

 

[caseytan]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore

 

[LENS]

So, was there any lion in singapore?

 

[sk.images]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbol_of_Singapore

 

[LENS]

Actually i read about there was some kind of animal called sumatra lion, it is said to be extincted long time ago.. it is in legends of indonesian..

Any related stories? so the prince saw some creatures like lion? any clue..ha

If it isn't a lion, and the prince named it as lion at that time.. won't locals find it weird? didn't he get informed after it?

 

[sk.images]

google is your friend

 

[LENS]

ok, i would like to get some comments that i cant google it. If you find this topic boring please just leave it. Thank you.

 

[icarus]

Actually i read about there was some kind of animal called sumatra lion, it is said to be extincted long time ago.. it is in legends of indonesian..

Any related stories? so the prince saw some creatures like lion? any clue..ha

If it isn't a lion, and the prince named it as lion at that time.. won't locals find it weird? didn't he get informed after it?

Could it be those people around the prince don't dare to offend the prince by pointing out the misjudgment? All the YES MEN since ancient times :thumbsup: :bsmilie:

 

[rueyloon]

Singapore is not the first place to be named Singapura, there was at least 2-3 other places before Singapore that had the name.

cheers

 

[LENS]

Singapore is not the first place to be named Singapura, there was at least 2-3 other places before Singapore that had the name.

cheers

oo really? i will check out it.. i didn't know there was other places named singapura. =)

By the way, that kind of lion alike animal is called Cigau by some indonesians, but it is kind of legendary animal again, but there are said fossil of lion like animals are found in Java many many years ago. Cigau is said still believed by some remote indonesian villagers.

and it is said that the Cigau like to stay in water..and it makes me think of lion head + fish body haa.

remember the story about swordfish was active in singapore also many years ago?the stories that many of us had read..use banana tree to capture swordfish.

It seems like we used to have a lot of animals around us.. comparing to nowadays..:cry:

 

[ibs]

Hi All,

I think singapore in malay is singapura.. i remember putra is center in malay?

Anyway, it means lion city..

and why? was there any lion in singapore?

Just curious. Thanks.

Hi..

Putra means 'son' or 'prince' in Malay. The word is adapted from sanskrit. 'Pura' however means city.

The story of Sang Nila Utama of Palembang - who threw his crown overboard enroute to Temasek to appease the storms. He set foot on the island, spotted a beast and was told that it was lion, afterwhich he renamed Temasek to Singapura and became the first king of Singapura. This story is taken from the Malay annals. That's the version that's been passed down for generations and was told to me by my mother.

Unfortunately the annals are interlaced with myths (thats how they like their stories to be told back then.. heh), so the story of the lion could be nothing more than a legend...

 

[LENS]

Hi..

Putra means 'son' or 'prince' in Malay. The word is adapted from sanskrit. 'Pura' however means city.

The story of Sang Nila Utama of Palembang - who threw his crown overboard enroute to Temasek to appease the storms. He set foot on the island, spotted a beast and was told that it was lion, afterwhich he renamed Temasek to Singapura and became the first king of Singapura. This story is taken from the Malay annals. That's the version that's been passed down for generations and was told to me by my mother.

Unfortunately the annals are interlaced with myths (thats how they like their stories to be told back then.. heh), so the story of the lion could be nothing more than a legend...

Hi ibs,

you seem like know a lot about 'sejarah melayu'.. i may check out that book. But it seems like there is some kind of animal they called it Singa (lion) at that time..

Thank you for your information.

 

[redstone]

Singapore is not the first place to be named Singapura, there was at least 2-3 other places before Singapore that had the name.

cheers

What are the other places?

 

[Balabong]

actually my teacher once told me he didt see a lion. more like a tiger. which is like everywhere in asia at that point of time. M'sia Indo etc

 

[GDSNP]

What are the other places?

Theres a Simhapura in Vietnam, which means Lion Citadel.

 

[espn]

I still prefer Silly-pore... :bsmilie:

 

[Perry]

Hi All,

I think singapore in malay is singapura.. i remember putra is center in malay?

Anyway, it means lion city..

and why? was there any lion in singapore?

Just curious. Thanks.

just a question to you, are you singaporean?

 

[LENS]

i am not singaporean.

Actually, since lion isn't found in South east asia, so i wonder why lion. Tigers are with stripes that easy to spot.

 

[hwchoy]

You are taking the word "Lion" too literally. The local probably said "Singa" or "Singha". Today you have a beer in Thailand called the Singha Beer, which is named after the lion-like mythical creature.

They probably spotted a particularly beautiful Leopard Cat, and the follower just claims that it is a Singha, and that the Prince must be very blessed to see the mythical creature.

So forget "Lion" as you understands it in English.

 

[hazmee]

'Pura' in modern malay means pretend. City is actually called 'Bandar'. So in modern malay context, Singapura means Lion-Pretend, or I would call it the Pretentious Lion. Hehe. Maybe the guy who named Singapura was drunk or something. Anyway, I doubt there was ever any lions in Singapore. Its a hang out place for pirates. Go ask any old-timer sailors of what they think of Singapore. They all say the same thing. Maybe they're all drunk too.

Anyway, if you find any good leads do let me know. Cheers!