The Singapore Stone
A great inscribed boulder stood at the mouth of the Singapore River for centuries. The British blew it up, and nobody can read what's left.
What was reported
At the mouth of the Singapore River once stood a huge sandstone boulder covered in an ancient inscription. Malay legend said it was thrown there by Badang, a strongman of old Singapore, in a contest of strength.
In 1843, British engineers blew the boulder up to widen the river mouth and make room for a fort. Scholars saved a few fragments, and one is now in the National Museum of Singapore.
Explanations offered
The writing is thought to be an old script related to those of Java or Sumatra, from the 10th to 14th centuries, but too little survives to read it. It may record a king or an event in early Singapore's history. The fragment is one of Singapore's national treasures.
- When
- Inscribed about 700 years ago; blown up in 1843
- Where
- Mouth of the Singapore River, Singapore
- Witnesses
- Historians and visitors
- Status
- Unread
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.