Pura in Malay is neither town nor city as many thought or were led to think so. Town or city is kota or bandar.
Pura is to pretend or to bluff. Now you get the idea of Singapura?
here's what I found. But that doesnt explain how in the world a LION got to this part of the world though.....
Singapore Original Name Singapura
(Bahasa Melayu/Bahasa Jawa (Java)/Sanskrit)
Singa = Lion
Pura = City
The name Singapore was derived from the Malay word singa (lion), which itself is derived from the Sanskrit word सिंह siMha of the same meaning, and the Malay word "pura", also derived from the Sanskrit word पुर pura (city) [1]. Hence, Singapore is also known as the Lion City. The naming is attributed to a minor prince named Sang Nila Utama, who according to lore, saw a lion as the first living creature on the island and decided to name it Singapura as a result.
Singapore developed from a small Malay fishing village to become a multicultural, major global city with cosmopolitan ideals. It has attracted controversy for some policies it has taken to achieve its development since independence in 1965.
Sang Nila Utama
Here's the legend of how Singapura was founded:
Sang Nila Utama was a prince of Sumatra. Wanting to find a suitable place for a new city, he decided to visit the islands off the coast of Sumatra. He set sail from Palembang (a city in Sumatra) in a number of ships. He and his men reached Riau Island and were welcomed by the queen. A few days later, Sang Nila Utama went to a nearby island on a hunting trip.
While hunting, he spotted a deer and started chasing it. He came to a very large rock and decided to climb it. When he reached the top, he looked across the sea and saw another island with a sandy beach which had the appearance of a white sheet of cloth.
Asking one of his ministers what land it was, he was told that it was the island of Temasek. He then decided to visit Temasek. However, when his ship was out at sea, a great storm blew up and the ship was tossed about in the huge waves. The ship began to take water.
To prevent it from sinking, his men threw all the heavy things on board into the sea to lighten the ship. But still water kept entering the ship and Sang Nila Utama, on advice of a ship's officer, threw his heavy crown overboard. At once, the storm died down and he reached Temasek safely.
He landed at the mouth of the present-day Singapore River and went inland to hunt wild animals. Suddenly, he saw a strange animal with a red body, black head and a white breast. It was a fine-looking animal and moved with great speed as it disappeared into the jungle.
He asked his chief minister what animal it was, and was told that it probably was a lion. He was pleased with this as he believed it to be a good omen - a sign of good fortune coming his way. Thus, he decided to build his new city in Temasek. He and his men stayed on the island and founded a city.
He named this city "Singapura". "Singa" means lion and "pura" means city. The name thus means the Lion City. Sang Nila Utama ruled Singapura for 48 years and was buried on Bukit Larangan (present-day Fort Canning Hill). By that time, Singapura had developed into a great and famous city.
