Singapore in ancient times was known
as Temasek or Sea Town. It was then,
as it is today, a busy trading centre.
Destroyed at the end of the 4th
century AD, the island was
rediscovered again in the 11th
century AD by Prince Sang Nila Utama
of the Sri Vijaya Empire.
Upon his landing, he saw a strange
beast which he later learnt was a lion.
He immediately named the island
"Singapura"
a Sanskrit word for Lion City.
The Merlion symbolises in its fish body
the ancient city of Temasek, and its
lion head, the legend of its discovery.
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