Did you know the Singapore Stone, now a fragment, holds secrets from centuries ago? It sits in the Singapore History Gallery at the National Museum. Once, it was a large sandstone slab. The Stone stood at the Singapore River’s mouth.
This Stone is more than just rock. It links us to Singapore’s ancient past. Discovered in 1819, the Singapore Stone was a mystery even then. Laborers found it while clearing jungle trees. They were scared by the inscriptions.
Imagine this slab. It was about 10 feet tall. It had 50 to 52 lines of script. But nobody on the island knew what they meant. The Singapore Stone’s inscription remains undeciphered.
Many have tried to understand it. Sir Stamford Raffles himself gave it a shot. He used strong acids to reveal the characters. Sadly, it didn’t work.
The writing might be Old Javanese, Sanskrit, or Tamil. This suggests the island was once part of the Majapahit civilization. Perhaps the person who ordered the inscription was Sumatran.
There’s a legend about Badang. He was a strongman who threw a massive stone. It landed at the Singapore River’s mouth. After Badang died, the Rajah erected stone pillars over his grave. Could the Singapore Stone be linked to this story?
In 1843, the British destroyed the slab. They needed space for a fort and commander’s quarters. This widened the river passage. The destruction was ordered by Captain D.H. Stevenson. Some blame George Drumgoole Coleman, but he was away.
Luckily, some people saved pieces. Lieutenant-Colonel James Low gathered fragments with letters. He sent them to the Royal Asiatic Society’s museum in Calcutta.
Another large piece was used as gravel for a road. An act of vandalism erased a part of our past. News of the Singapore Stone’s destruction reached Bengal. James Prinsep asked for any remaining pieces. Colonel William John Butterworth found one in the Treasury’s verandah. It was being used as a seat.
In 1918, the Raffles Museum asked for the fragments back. The Calcutta museum sent one piece. This piece is now the Singapore Stone we see today.
Scholars have proposed different interpretations of the script. One theory suggests Tamil. Another points to Pali. But many believe it is Kawi, an old Javanese script.
Johan Hendrik Caspar Kern deciphered a few words. Yet, he couldn’t identify the language. Another expert thought it resembled Majapahit script. Dr. J.G. de Casparis believed it was Old Javanese. Drs Boechari suggested Sanskrit. The script may never be fully deciphered.
The Singapore Stone is a national treasure. It was featured in the 2016 National Day Parade. It reminds us of Badang’s legend. The Singapore Stone remains an enigma. It whispers tales of ancient Singapore. Its mystery keeps us connected to the past.