Sang Nila Utama
Sang Nila Utama was a prince from Palembang and is the founder of the Kingdom of Singapura in 1299. His official title adopted upon his coronation was Sri Tri Buana (Sanskrit: श्री त्रि भुवन, romanized: śrī tri bhuvana), which can be translated as "Lord of Three Worlds"; the "Three Worlds" may refer to the three realms of the universe—the heaven of the gods, the world of humans, and the underworld of demons or his lordship over Java, Sumatra and Temasek/Singapura. This title is attested to elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
| Sang Nila Utaama | |
|---|---|
| Sri Tri Buana, "Lord of Three Worlds" | |
Statue of Sang Nila Utama at the Raffles' Landing Site as part of events commemorating the bicentennial of the founding of modern Singapore, along with other pioneers of the modern period of Singapore. | |
| 1st Raja of Singapura | |
| Reign | 1299–1347 |
| Predecessor | Kingdom established |
| Successor | Sri Wikrama Wira |
| Born | Late 13th century Palembang |
| Died | 1347 Kingdom of Singapura |
| Burial | Keramat Iskandar Shah, Fort Canning Hill (disputed) |
| Spouse | Wan Sri Bini |
| Issue | Sri Wikrama Wira |
| Father | Sang Sapurba |
Sang Nila Utama died in 1347 and his son, Sri Wikrama Wira succeeded him. The account of his life and those of his successors is given in the Malay Annals; the historicity of the events as recorded there is debated by scholars, and some contend that Sang Nila Utama may be a mythical figure, even if the historicity of Singapore's 14th-century settlement is no longer disputed. Even so, as De Jong argued in his article The Character of Malay Annals, the stories of the Malay Annals could have been realistically mixed with the historical figures and events.