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There could be countless stories behind the naming of
towns and cities with pura or pore in the Indian
subcontinent. Similarly, Singaporeans savour a few.
| King Sri Tri Buana
[or was it prince Sang Nila Utama who claimed to
be a relative of Alexander the Great and was
looking for a place to found a city of his own]
was rock-climbing off the Temasek island when he
[or his entourage] spotted a whitish land that
looked like cloth. |
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When attracted
towards Temasek's shores, a violent storm broke
out. Like the Biblical Jonas-and-the whale
incident, the enraged sea demanded Sri Tri
Buana's symbol of kingship. |
'When all else was thrown overboard to no avail,
Sri Tri Buana cast his crown into the sea,' the
Malay Annals records. Temasek's strange
allurements included a specially fast-moving,
agile, strong and graceful animal. |
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It possessed a red body, a black head and a white
breast. As if from the apocalypse, Sri Tri
Buana's court decided to christen Temasek after
this unfamiliar creature - Singa [Lion} and Pura
[city]. |
[next...]
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