Temasek means "Sea Town" in Old Javanese.
Singapura means "Lion City" in Sanskrit.
Legend has it that Seri Teri Buana (Sang Nila Utama) and his men was on an exploration around the Malay Archipelago when they spotted an island with white sandy beach from a high point in Tanjong Bemban, Bintan. They set sail for the island, enduring rough storms, before finally landing at the beaches of Telok Blangah and went inland to hunt for wild animals. Suddenly, he saw a strange animal with an orange body, black head and a white neck breast. It was a fine-looking animal and moved with great speed as it disappeared into the jungle. He asked his chief minister, Demang Lebar Daun, what animal it was, and was told that it probably was a lion.
Seri Teri Buana was pleased with this as he believed it to be a good omen—a sign of good fortune coming his way. Thus, he decided to build his new kingdom in Temasek. He named the kingdom "Singapura", meaning the "Lion City".
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References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Singapura
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