Amid the modern urban landscape of Singapore, a fragment of the past remains—still puzzling historians to this day: the Singapore Stone.
This ancient inscribed boulder was first discovered at the mouth of the Singapore River in the early 19th century. It is believed to date back to between the 10th and 14th centuries CE, making it approximately 700 years old.
Yet, to this day, the inscription carved into the stone has never been deciphered by linguists or archaeologists.
Fragments of the Past
The Singapore Stone was first officially documented in June 1819 by British colonial engineer and explorer.
The massive boulder—estimated to be around 3 meters tall and 3 meters wide—was located at the mouth of the Singapore River, near the area now known as the Fullerton Hotel. It gained attention for the mysterious script engraved across its surface.
Unfortunately, in 1843, British colonial authorities decided to destroy the stone to make way for road expansion and fort construction. According to the National Heritage Board, fragments of the inscribed stone were salvaged by John T. Thomson, a Government Surveyor, who sent them to a museum for preservation.
The destruction of the Singapore Stone is now widely regarded as a major loss in Southeast Asian archaeological history. Many academics and historians have since lamented the decision, as the stone may have held key clues about the early identity and social structure of Singapore before colonial times.
Today, the only surviving fragment of the Singapore Stone is housed in the National Museum of Singapore, preserved as part of the nation's protected heritage collection.
The Mystery of the Script: A Writing That Has Never Been Read
What makes the Singapore Stone so captivating is not just its centuries-old age, but the ancient script carved onto its surface—a script that remains untranslated to this day.
The surviving fragment displays around 50 characters, though many are heavily eroded. Epigraphers believe the inscription may have been written in either the Pallava or Kawi scripts—two ancient writing systems widely used in Southeast Asia during the Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms, as explained by the National Library Board Singapore.
However, due to the limited number of legible characters, there is still no scholarly consensus on the actual content of the inscription.
Several theories suggest that the language used could be:
- Sanskrit, commonly found in royal inscriptions across South and Southeast Asia;
- Old Malay, which served as a lingua franca among seafarers and traders;
- Or Old Javanese, associated with the Majapahit Empire and other Nusantara kingdoms.
According to the National Heritage Board, the script on the stone also bears similarities to writing styles found in Southern India, reinforcing the hypothesis of ancient cultural connections between Singapore and Indian civilizations.
Epigraphy experts like Professor Iain Sinclair of the University of Otago have even described the Singapore Stone as an “ancient code” that, if ever fully deciphered, could unlock deeper understanding of pre-colonial maritime and cultural networks in Southeast Asia, as quoted in The Straits Times Heritage Feature.
Theories of Origin: Ancient Kingdoms and the Legend of Badang
The origins of the Singapore Stone remain one of Southeast Asia’s greatest archaeological mysteries. Some historians believe the stone may date back to the height of maritime kingdoms such as Srivijaya or Majapahit, based on script similarities with ancient inscriptions from the 10th to 13th centuries found in Sumatra, Java, and the Malay Peninsula.
If true, the stone could serve as evidence that the area now known as Singapore—historically referred to as Temasek—was once part of a vast regional network of trade and civilization long before colonial arrival.
On the other hand, the stone is also frequently linked to the legend of Badang, a strongman from Malay folklore who is said to have hurled a massive rock to the mouth of the river as a display of his strength. This tale is recorded in the Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals), and some believe the stone Badang threw was, in fact, the Singapore Stone itself.
Although there is no archaeological evidence to support this connection, the enduring popularity of the Badang legend highlights how historical artifacts can live on through local cultural narratives. The Singapore Stone is more than just a physical relic—it stands as a symbol of collective heritage, blending myth, history, and identity into a single fragment of stone whose meaning remains to be fully uncovered.
Source:
- https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=0a757a02-5f6b-483a-8a32-97a09953da63
- https://www.nhb.gov.sg/nationalmuseum/whats-on/exhibition/singapore-history-gallery
- https://www.roots.gov.sg/en/stories-landing/stories/the-singapore-story-through-60-objects/networks-through-time/singapore-stone/story
- https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/heritage/the-singapore-stone-a-giant-fragment-of-history
