How it all started...

1. Rain Tree

Here we are at Fort Canning, with hopes of retracing Ah Gong's trail! Let's see where the first stop is. Hmm...

A huge tree with its leaves all closed up… Bearing in mind what Ah Gong sketched, we scanned the surroundings and tried to guess where Ah Gong’s first landmark could be.

We couldn’t miss this towering 36 metres tall Rain Tree (Samanea saman) with a girth of 6.5 metres. No wonder Ah Gong made special mention of it. The Rain Tree is a native of Central America and was introduced to Singapore in 1876. If the Rain Tree looks familiar, it is because its large, shady, umbrella-shaped crown makes it a suitable ornamental tree for lining the roads of Singapore. The leaves often fold up at dusk or before an impending rain.

No rain today I guess?

With the constant redevelopment of Singapore, there was a need to conserve our mature trees. Thus, the Heritage Tree Scheme was announced on 17 Aug 2001. This particular rain tree is also special as it has been designated as Tree 138 on the Heritage Trees Register. The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) donated an initial fund of $125,000 towards a conservation programme to preserve these Heritage Trees as well as promote appreciation of our natural heritage. Some of these programme initiatives include installing lightning conductors and interpretive signage, as well as putting in place a nomination scheme for the community.

Resource:
http://www.sbg.org.sg/attractions/heritagetrees.asp

2. Petai Tree

Ah Gong had another sketch of some beans. What tree did they come from?

Like the Rain Tree, the Petai Tree (Parkia speciosa) also has an umbrella-shaped crown. It grows up to 14 metres and has special flowers which are long, creamy-white and emit a milky smell. Sentosa also houses another Petai Tree, which has been selected as a Heritage Tree.

Ahhhh~

Ewww...

The Petai seed is a plump green bean (also known as the stink bean) with a garlicky taste and is commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine (Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia) such as sambal petai. It is believed to have cleansing properties for the kidneys and can treat depression, premenstrual syndrome, (high) blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and constipation. This is a dish with many health benefits!

3. Storyboard of Fort Canning’s pre-colonial history and the 5 kings

The stinky Petai beans got to us after a while, and we decided to continue on along the path. We came upon this storyboard detailing the 5 kings of Malaya and …

The storyboard writes:

“History shows that a Malay Kingdom once existed in Singapore. According to the Malay Annals, ancient Singapore had five kings.

1.(1299-1347?) Sri Tri Buana. After reigning 48 years, Sri Tri Buana died and was buried on this hill.

2.(1348-1362?) Paduka Sri Pikrama Wira. He refused to pay homage to Java, which attacked Singapore but failed to conquer it.

3.(1363-1374?) Sri Rana Wikerma. During his reign Java claimed Temasek (now Singapore) as a vassal. The famous story of Badang, the Strongman, is set during his reign.

4.(1375-1386?) Padika Sri Maharaja. During his reign Singapore was attacked by todak (Malay for garfish). Singapore may have been a vassal of Siam (Ayudhya) during his reign.

5.(1387?-1397) Sri Sultan Iskandar Syah. According to the Malay Annals, he was Paduka Sri Maharaja’s son; but other sources call him a usurper from Sumatra. He was driven out of Singapore by an attack; some sources say from Java, others say from Siam. He also appears in Chinese and other sources under the name Parameswara (Supreme Lord). After fleeing from Singapore he founded Malacca and died in 1413. ”

While reading the storyboard, several question marks popped up in our heads. In particular, there seemed to be a discrepancy with regards to the periods of reign. Subsequent research on this issue revealed a discrepancy with regards to the years of the Sultans’ reign. Padika Sri Maharaja reigned from 1375 to 1389 whereas Sri Sultan Iskandar Syah, who reigned from 1389 to 1391, founded Malacca in 1393. It was also interesting to learn that the throne was passed down the bloodline from the first to the fourth king, whilst the fifth king had usurped the throne.

Hmm... These storyboards were definitely not around during Ah Gong’s time, but we wonder if he had heard any stories about the reign of the Sultans...

Resource:
Linehan, W. (1982) The Kings of 14th Century Singapore. In T.S.D.M Sheppard (Ed.), Singapore 150 Years (pp. 57-66). Singapore: Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.

4. The Keramat

Okay, so we were just getting warmed up. In his diary, Ah Gong mentioned spotting a hut where he would seek shelter if it rained. This must be it!

This terrace is said to be the burial ground of the last king, Sri Sultan Iskandar Syah. However, doubts remain as some records show that Sri Sultan Iskandar Syah had actually died in Melaka.

Each pillar and structure of the keramat has intricate designs on them. We were all awed by the beautiful antique designs...

The roof of the keramat, which is also known as pendopo - a 14th century-styled Malay roof.

The detailed carvings of fighting cocks motifs on the twenty wooden pillars are of Javanese origins.

Resources:
www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/docs/diy_guide/ancient_history_v2.pdf
http://heritagetrails.sg/content/511/Keramat_Iskandar_Shah.html

5. Spice Garden

What’s that lovely fragrance?

We caught a whiff of lemongrass and decided to follow the scent. It led us to the Spice Garden which was established in November 1994. It is a replica of the early experimental Botanical gardens initiated by Sir Stanford Raffles in November 1822. This must be where Ah Gong spotted the various plants which he sketched! Isn’t itfunny how our sense of smell led us to the same area?

Lemongrass… believed to relieve flatulence

During the colonial era, spices such as nutmeg and cloves were regarded as of equal value as gold. As such, the English, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese competed for control over the sources and routes to the Spice Islands of Southeast Asia and India. Therefore, Raffles wanted to develop the agriculture of these spices and initiated the establishment of a botanical garden in Singapore. He entrusted the task to Dr. Nathaniel Wallich, who had previously set up a botanical garden in Calutta. Despite being stationed in Bencoolen at that time, Raffles sent samples of spices to Dr. Wallich which he wanted to be planted in the garden. Due to the lack of funding and government support, the garden which stretched from the Masonic Hall and Armenian Church to the Cathedral, then along Bras Basah to Dhoby Gaut lasted only till 1829. Thereafter, the garden was left in the care of ten convicts and was revived in 1836 by the citizens from the Agricultural and Horticultural Society. However, the interest fettered and it was only in 1859 when the government transferred the garden to a bigger plot of land that the Society began working again.

The walk through the Spice Garden brought our attention to several other spices such as Ginger, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cinnamon and ‘Laksa’ leaves.

Ginger!
Used widely to improve digestion and counteract vomiting.

Cloves and nutmeg, which were some of the economical spices traded in the past.

Cloves!                                                                   Nutmeg!

These trees and plants reflect the cultures of the people in the Southeast Asian region who used the various spices in the preparation of their delicious dishes. Ah, some of these must have gone into the secret curry recipe passed down from Ah Ma to our mums and dads! The mere mention of curry makes our tummies rumble... But lunch can wait.

Ah. Laksa…
Yummy!

The smell of Cinnamon...

We shall continue on our trail to trace Ah Gong’s footsteps!

Resource:
http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_8_2004-12-10.html

6. Archaeological Dig and Exhibition Area

Following the path leading from the spice garden, we arrived at the archaeological dig and exhibition area.

The archaelogical dig had us staring into space and wondering what artefacts were dug up and how the exacavation work was actually done. Archaeological research on this site began in 1984 and thousands of artefacts from the 14^th century have been discovered since.

As we walked around the exhibition area, some of the details on the information boards caught our attention. For example, archaeologists could tell from the dark soil found beneath a red layer of clay that human activities had caused this unusual phenomenon (as seen in the first picture). That prompted the archaeological dig at Fort Canning. Over 30,000 artefacts dating from the 14^th century were uncovered, ranging from porcelains to Chinese coins, earthenware to ceramics, and glass to pottery. Most of the items originated from other countries, such as China and Thailand. Based on the artefacts found, trading activities are highly active in Malaya and historians deduced that the life in Singapore in the 14^th century was probably not as simple as what it was thought to be. And it left us wondering how life was like at that time... hmm...

7. 14th Century Gold Ornament

Besides the artefacts found during the archaeological dig, other 14th century ornaments had been discovered as well. During the construction of a reservoir at the top of Fort Canning Hill in 1926, workers came upon some 14th century-style Hindu Javanese gold ornaments.

The reservoir was built as a service reservoir to help supplement other larger reservoirs. During our walk, we did not manage to see the reservoir but caught a glimpse of the surrounding fence through the trees. Ah Gong must have stopped somewhere around here to take a drink!

The gold ornaments were found at a depth of 3m below ground. Among these was an armlet decorated with the head of kala, a demonic beast and son of the Hindu goddess Durga. It is speculated that these ornaments might have been worn by a member of the royal family of Temasek, who buried them in the face of imminent invasion.

Many of the ornaments were lost during the Japanese Occupation and the remaining ones are now on display in the National Museum of Singapore.

Hmm... I wonder if Ah Gong had seen any of these ornaments back then…

Resources:
http://www.worldoftemasek.com/index.php/article/archaeology
Picture of armlet:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JavaneseGoldOrnaments-14C-NationalMuseumofSingapore-20090712.jpg

8. Ancient Garden

Here is a site where fruit trees such as the Durian, Rambutan, Duku and Starfruit were known to be abundant. In the early days, gardens filled with these fruit trees were prominent features of the Southeast Asian palaces.

Hmm…I wonder what fruits were grown here...

With the exception of some Duku trees, most of the other fruit trees are no longer found here at Fort Canning. However, certain fruit trees such as the Durian and Rambutan can still be seen in other places such as Pulau Ubin, the last village in Singapore.

Starfruits grow on small trees of about 10 metres high with compound leaves. The fruit is known to have a ‘cooling’ effect and can be used to treat hangovers as well as stomach upsets. An interesting fact is that the acid found in the juice of the fruit may be used to clean metals.

Resource:
http://tubefeetlocomotion.blogspot.com/2009/06/10-fruit-trees-of-pulau-ubin-200609.html

9. Possible Site of Royal Palace

Look! This is the Picnic Terrace, a possible site of the Royal Palace of the Malay rulers in the 14th Century. In fact, Fort Canning Hill was once known as Bukit Larangan or “Forbidden Hill” because the local Malays reckoned it to be a sacred place where their ancestors had built their palaces. They were fearful of going up the hill and considered it taboo. No wonder Ah Gong keeps using both Bukit Larangan and Fort Canning alternately in his diary!

It certainly is interesting to think that Singapore was once ruled by a system of monarchy. The palace, like other ancient Southeast Asian palaces, would most likely have been equipped with a bathing site, religious monuments and workshops for craftsmen. Members of the royal family, along with their servants and guards were probably the ones living within the compounds.

Hmm, what would Ah Gong have seen here during his walk?

Having our very own picnic

At the far corner of the Picnic Terrace, there was a cartoon depiction of the 5 Kings of Singapore and a summary of Singapore in the 14th century. History was presented in a light-hearted, colourful manner which made it an interesting, though not an entirely accurate read.

Captivated by the storyboard

A close up of the storyboard

Resources:
http://softwerkz.net/2010/01/fort-canning-park-singapore/
http://luminousmoon.multiply.com/journal/item/90
www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/docs/diy_guide/ancient_history_v2.pdf

10. The Parit Singapore

We are almost half way there.

Walking along, we reached the next stop that Ah Gong had drawn on his map. It looks like a bridge that was drawn on the trail! We did a bit of research before our trip and found out that the little bridge had probably overlooked a small stream, although the stream had dried up quite some time ago. Now, a pathway has been built in its place...

While the bridge didn’t seem so ‘little’ anymore, we imagined it to be a narrow and unstable bridge that Ah Gong walked across.

Ahh! We’re falling…

We also found out from the national parks website that the place was named ‘Parit Singapura’, meaning the Moat of Singapore. However, according to an online translation website, the Malay word ‘parit’ refers to a ‘ditch, drain or canal’. Isn’t it odd that they used the word ‘Parit’ to name the Moat of Singapore? Since moats were supposed to be structures built for protection and defense, we’d imagined them to be much bigger than the size of drains that we see today.

Is this moat related to the small stream that the bridge had overlooked?

Resources:
http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/popup/fort-attractions.html
http://kamus.lamanmini.com/index.php

11. Mural Wall

We continued on our trail and came across some walls with intricate carvings that seemed to tell a story. And so, we decided to take a closer look…

But it was the boards near these mural walls that gave us a more complete idea of what the carvings were all about…

The mural walls actually depict some of the significant events that had happened during pre-colonial Singapore. These include:

* Construction of the Royal Palace on Fort Canning

workers carving on pillars, carrying tools and construction materials

* Siamese attack on Singapore

locals defending the island with spears, bows and arrows, behind a defence barricade

* Singapore's Golden Age

Malay, Indian and Chinese traders meeting on shore to exchange their goods

* Singapore's ruler taking flight

Parameswara being whisked away by his followers as the island lays under seige

* Burning of Singapore in 1613 by the Portuguese

houses on the island going up in flames as the Portuguese looked on from aboard their ships

We even tried to do a 3D depiction of the carvings on the wall!

After looking up some information from the Sejarah Melayu library and quotes like the Daoyi Zhilue from history lesson, we find that the sign board merely provides a general idea of what happened in Singapore from the early 14^th Century onwards. In particular, certain information might be too vague or even misrepresented, hence misleading readers. For example, we found, from the primary source Daoyi Zhilue, that the Siamese ceased the attacks on Singapore when they realized the presence of an envoy from Java. In contrast, it was written on the board that ‘a passing Chinese fleet forced the Siamese to withdraw’.

Resource:
http://www.sabrizain.org/malaya/library/

12. Settlements in 14th Century Singapore

Wang Dayuan described people living all around a “hollow-topped summit”. In his accounts, the hill he was referring to is probably the present-day Fort Canning Hill. The settlements in 14^th Century Singapore began from the foot of the hill and stretched all the way to the Singapore River. The people living around this area were probably merchants who traded their goods with traders who docked their ships along the Singapore River. Singapore was a melting pot where traders from the east met with those from the west.

It is hard to believe that this area was once the economic centre of the city and bustling with activity. Today, the area (Clarke Quay) is really only alive at night!

Resource:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-should-i-know-about-singapore.htm

13. The Singapore Stone & the 14th Century Strongman

Legend has it that there once was a boy named Badang, who acquired strength during an encounter with a genie. News of this boy’s prowess spread across the region and the ruler of India sent the strongest man in his Kingdom, Wadi Bijaya, to challenge Badang in a competition. A few tasks were assigned to the 2 men in order to determine who the stronger man was. The last task of these was a rock throwing contest. A rock of about 3metres high & 3metres wide was to be thrown from this spot of the hill and the man who could throw it further would win the final task. Wadi could only lift the rock up to his knees, while Badang managed to not only lift the rock, but throw it all the way to the mouth of the Singapore River!

Did Ah Gong know of this legend?

In 1843, however, the rock, now known as the Singapore Stone, was blasted to make way for developments at the Singapore River. Inscriptions had been found on the Singapore Stone but the text remains undeciphered till this day.

Here, we are being blasted away!

Resource:
http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_996_2006-04-05.html
http://www.worldoftemasek.com/index.php/article/archaeology

14. The Forbidden Spring

Reaching the west side of Fort Canning, we stood at this location which is known as Pancur Larangan, the Forbidden Spring. According to legend, this spring had served as a bathing place for the ladies of royal descent and no one else was allowed to enter, hence the name, Forbidden Spring.

We took our chance to have a bath like royalty here at the Forbidden Spring!

Although no remains were recorded of the Forbidden Spring, bathing places were one of the most important aspects of Southeast Asian palaces. They were said to be highly decorated with art works such as stone relief carvings. Such elaborate remains of ancient bathing places can still be found in Java and Sumatra!

In addition, this spring provided drinking water to all ships visiting Singapore till 1830. It was also a source of fresh water for the populace at the base of the hill well into the 19^th century before eventually going dry.

Resource:
http://www.crescent.edu.sg/ipw/2000/sec1/11g7-fortcanning/website/legends.htm

15. Singapore from the 15th to 17th centuries

On this trail, we walked through a time passageway, looking back at what Singapore was. Despite our growling stomachs urging us to finish the trail quickly, the information boards proved to be too captivating for of a few of us.

Singapore was a prosperous port for about 100 years from 1300 to 1400, where merchants from various countries met to exchange goods. This period of time was Singapore’s golden age.

The Decline…

When the king of Siam, Iskandar Syah, passed away, a flotilla of row boats (habitually used by the Sea Nomads) began to force ships from the East passing through the straits between Malacca and the island of Sumatra to go to Malacca to trade their merchandise.

This coercion caused Singapura to be deserted by merchants, which lead to the decline of Singapore’s golden age…

Although Singapore was increasingly overshadowed by Malacca, it remained as an important port, a meeting place for ships in the 15th century.

The 16th Century

In 1511 the Portuguese captured Malacca, and the Malay ruler fled to the Johor – Riau area. For the next 300 years, the main Malay headquarters were either in Johor or on the island of Bintan 100km south of Singapore. Singapore itself was too exposed to invasion to be reinstated as the capital.

Nevertheless Singapore continued to be an important location. A 16th century Portuguese map shows Singapore clearly. The map shows a Malay harbourmaster’s office, proof that Singapore was still a trading center.

The 17th Century

The Portuguese and Malays fought frequent fierce wars against one another, usually at sea and often in Singapore waters. In 1613, Portuguese ships bombarded Singapore. It would therefore seem that Singapore had contained a settlement of some significance at that time. This attack apparently drove away the remaining islanders.

Having our own battle with the sticks!

Around 1700, the Sultan of Johor offered Singapore to a private English merchant John Hamilton, but he declined, as he felt that it was inappropriate for an individual to accept such an offer. Hamilton, however, did think that Singapore would make a good choice for an East India Company Station. It was not until over 100 years later that his estimate of Singapore’s potential was proven to be correct.

16. Terap tree

X marks the spot! We arrived at THE tree mentioned in Ah Gong’s diary!
It is Heritage Tree 15 and is listed as being 30 metres tall with a girth of 4.5 metres. The Terap (Artocarpus elasticus) develops buttresses as it matures. This probably explains how Ah Gong could have been resting on one side of the tree without being noticed by Ah Ma.

Ah Ma must have been gathering some of the tough terap bark which jungle-folks have previously used as basket linings and even clothes! Its bark is tough but strips easily into big sheets. This useful tree also produces elastic latex and a fruit similar to the chempedak. The tree is easily recognised from its huge and stiff leaves.

Hopefully there aren’t any tree snakes around today!

But then again, meeting Mr Right here wouldn’t be a bad thing either! :)