Where are the LIONS?

[drifter]

india got lion ...


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[Ramseth]

Perhaps after they had realised that there's no lion ever in Singapore, they invented the merlion to save face since they're stucked with the name Singapura, already anglicised and internationally known as Singapore. Sang Nila Utama supposedly saw a lion who swam across the Indian Ocean, then swam back, hence merlion.

 

[wikiphile]

Where's Jayapura? "Success Kingdom"?
Pardon my ignorance, but I've never heard of it.

I've always thought that a kingdom in Malay is negeri beraja.
In any case, if pura really means city or kingdom in Malay, it should be a prefix, not a suffix, according to Malay grammar.

For example, we say Bandar Sri Begawan (capital city of Brunei), not Sri Begawan-bandar.
We say Kota Tinggi (famous waterfall town in Johor), not Tinggi-kota.

You haven't heard of it is because it is the state capital of a very remote and distant island (even by indonesian standards)

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

 

[aurvandil]

Perhaps after they had realised that there's no lion ever in Singapore, they invented the merlion to save face since they're stucked with the name Singapura, already anglicised and internationally known as Singapore. Sang Nila Utama supposedly saw a lion who swam across the Indian Ocean, then swam back, hence merlion.

The more likely scenario is that he saw some kind of long haired wild cat. The size of the cat was probably the same as the cats you see roaming our HDB heartlands.

With each telling of the story, the cat got bigger and the long hair became a mane.

Until modern times when based on the size described in the legends, we wrongly concluded it was a lion.

 

[Ramseth]

The more likely scenario is that he saw some kind of long haired wild cat. The size of the cat was probably the same as the cats you see roaming our HDB heartlands.

With each telling of the story, the cat got bigger and the long hair became a mane.

Until modern times when based on the size described in the legends, we wrongly concluded it was a lion.

Then who the hell and how the hell was the merlion invented?

 

[wikiphile]

The more likely scenario is that he saw some kind of long haired wild cat. The size of the cat was probably the same as the cats you see roaming our HDB heartlands.

With each telling of the story, the cat got bigger and the long hair became a mane.

Until modern times when based on the size described in the legends, we wrongly concluded it was a lion.

I think Sang Nila Utama was drunk when he came on board (the Indonesians were Hindus back then, then again it is not as if they are still sober while being Muslims now) and saw some kuching kurap and shout 'Singha! Singha'!

His syncophantic kah kias all had to concur with their lord's very inaccurate and drunk assessment and say 'benar baghinda, singha mampir!' (yes your majesty, it is a lion) or its heads off for them.

The mistaken legend was thus born and still covered till this day by our historically inept but politically correct leaders who still have quite concidentally sycophantic kah kias to concur with them and not correct the mistake

 

[Brightkid]

.......... 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.

The sentence in red is definitely wrong.

An old man just claimed he is the architect and builder of Singapura into a great and famous city. And he grew it from a sleepy fishing village for the last 40+ years only.

Dounc'h believe ? Go ask him, but be fast though. He is still alive and kicking this moment.

 

[aurvandil]

Then who the hell and how the hell was the merlion invented?

That's easy. Wikipedia has a link

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

Our "national symbol" was invented in 1964 by an ang mo, Fraser Brunner, who was the curator and who also ran the gift shop at the now defunt Van Kleef Aquaraium.

Believing in the power of the all knowing ang mo, our civil servants at STB adopted it as their symbol.

Somewhere along the way, it morphed to become a national symbol of Singapore.

 

[drifter]

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[vamjok]

ai yah you all don't know the true story. sec school never teach? this is what happen.

when that sanglila utama comes to singapore, he ask his attendant beside him what is this place, at the same time there is a malay woman chasing a singh and shouting:

"Singh karpo la, Singh karpo la!!" (singh steal singh steal, while she was chasing a singh that stole her underwear)

sanglita utama heard that then he say :"i know i know...this is Singapura~"