Burial ground of Kings destroyed

Singapore’s Fort Canning hill was inhabited by members of the royal family till the 1400s. During that time, the hill was off limits to commoners which explain its prevalent name ‘Forbidden Hill’. The past rulers of Singapore were buried on that hill.

When Sir Stamford Raffles founded Singapore, he was marvelled by the beauty and history of Fort Canning hill so much that he built his house on it. He had also wished for his body to be buried amongst the ashes of kings if he were to die in Singapore. However, he left Singapore shortly after.

In 1859, the British demolished his house and excavated the burial grounds on the hill to level the ground for building of the fort. Objections from the locals regarding building of the fort were to no avail as the construction of the fort continued.

On the contrary, due to the distance from the beach, the guns were useless against sea attacks contradicting the foremost reason why the fortress was built.

Only one out of the many tombs that were demolished on Fort Canning hill was resurrected. It was built to commemorate Iskandar Shah, the last king to rule over Singapore.

Written by Thivyaa


Click on the video (below) to find out about Singapore’s last king.

Uncovered: The tomb at Fort Canning

The Quest for the Truth

On 15th May 2010, we met up at 10 am and made our way to Fort Canning Park. Upon reaching the site, we were greeted by the lone presence of the ‘keramat’ which was surrounded by lushes trees, bushes and pigeons.

While touring the site, we took the chance to capture stills and video recordings of the location.

During that time, we were approached by Mr. Kamal, the caretaker, who was willing to share his knowledge about the burial ground.

Coincidentally, some visitors were seen visiting the 'keramat' for a purpose and we managed to interview them.

We managed to interview another two visitors who were at Fort Canning. They were asked if they knew of the existence of the 'keramat' in the park itself. They were also asked if they knew about Iskandar Shah.

After that, we made our trip to the National Museum of Singapore which was just across the park. We were hoping that we can get some useful information but the trip was not helpful as they had no information about the 'keramat' at all.

Last but not least, we feel that this was definitely a noteworthy experience for us.

keramat = shrine

Written by Suriana

History behind Iskandar Shah

Keramat Iskandar Shah is commonly believed to be the final resting ground of Sultan Iskandar Shah. Originally a Hindu who went by the name of Parameswara, he converted to Islam and adopted this name when he married a Princess of Pasai in Malacca.

Sultan Iskandar Shah is portrayed as the last of the five kings to rule over Singapore in the 14th century and also the descendent of Sang Nila Utama, who we all know as the founder of Singapura.

Iskandar Shah’s rule over Singapore was later challenged and he was attacked by enemy forces. Forced to leave Singapore, he went on to establish a new kingdom of Malacca, where he assumed his new identity.

Although his actual place of death remains unclear, Fort Canning park was the supposed resting ground for all the kings. However, the tombs were reportedly destroyed when the British converted Fort Canning into a fortress in 1859 to enhance security. This new 'keramat' was eventually erected many years later and has remained at the same spot ever since.

Many locals believe that the 'keramat' has mystical powers and although worship is not allowed by law, they still visit the place to pray.

Written by Faizal