A much weathered monolith with chiselled inscriptions were found at the mouth of the Singapore River in 1823. Some people speculated that it was Sang Ranjuna Tapa who had turned into a rock in retribution for inviting the Majapahit invaders in during the reign of Iskandar Shah. Others suggested that it was the monument erected by the Rajah of Kling in memory of Badang who had beaten his champion by hurling a stone into the Singapore River during Sri Wikera's reign.
Attempts at deciphering the script using soft dough, lard, white lead and even powdered charcoal proved futile. Raffles himself failed in his attempt with strong acids.
In 1843, Captain Stevenson, the British Acting Settlement Engineer ordered the rock to be blown up to broaden the river mouth. One sizeable chunk was used, for many years, as a seat by the Sepoy guards at the Treasury. Only one fragment remains in the National Museum.
can anyone from our group attempt to decipher this>>>>