Person

Sang Nila Utama

13th century · 13th century · Also known as Sri Tri Buana

Sang Nila Utama is the legendary founder of the Kingdom of Singapura, known from the Malay Annals. According to the story, this prince of Palembang landed on the island of Temasek, saw a beast he took for a lion and named the place Singapura, the 'lion city', around 1299. His dynasty ruled until about 1400, and its last king founded Malacca.

Sang Nila Utama
Image: Altopian1 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Kingdom of Singapura

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Sang Nila Utama. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sang-nila-utama
MLA
“Sang Nila Utama.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sang-nila-utama. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Sang Nila Utama.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sang-nila-utama.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Sang Nila Utama’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sang-nila-utama (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻