Asia Beauty Spot – Asia Scenery

Just a stone’s throw away from one of the busiest shopping areas in Singapore is a cool, shady nature walk around a hill which has a history that goes back 700 years. Relax by taking a stroll through the park situated on the hill or immerse yourself in this tranquil green oasis while commuting from Orchard Road to the Civic District or the Singapore River.

Steeped in history, Fort Canning Hill was once known as “Forbidden Hill”. This is because Malays in the 19th century believed that it was the seat of royalty for rulers of Temasek (or “Sea Town”, an old name for Singapore) in the 1300s. Later, Singapore’s colonial leaders made their residences there, and the hill became a military base during the Second World War. Today, ancient relics dating back to the 14th century have been unearthed and the Fort Gate, remnant of the fortress built in the 1860s, is a reminder of Singapore’s colonial past.

The Fort Canning Spice Trail sits on the site of Singapore’s first experimental and botanical gardens. A small replica of the 19ha garden, it now has a collection of more than a hundred species of plants – spice, herbs, medicinal, economical and ornamentals. Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) and Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) trees, which were planted extensively in the first garden, can be found there as well. Other attractions along this trail include the Archaeological Dig, which showcases the actual excavation site, the only such exhibition in modern Singapore and Keramat, believed to be a tomb of Singapore’s last king, Sultan Iskandar Syah.

Majestic trees, some gnarled with age, spread their branches to cast deep pools of shade over the sprawling green spaces. Like guardians of this historic site, the magnificent fig tree (Ficus variegata and other species), Saga (Adenanthera pavonina), Silk-cotton Tree (Ceiba pentandra) and Yellow Flame (Peltophorum pterocarpum) stand watch. The Bird’s Nest Fern (Asplenium nidus) and other epiphytic denizens reside on broad branches of the Rain Tree (Samanea saman), protected by its shady crown. Fort Canning is also good for bird-watching. Visitors can hear the trills of the Black-naped Oriole (Oriolis chinensis) over the hum of the cicadas. Collared Kingfishers (Halcyon chloris), Copper-smith Barbets (Megalaima haemacephala) and Yellow-vented Bulbuls (Pyconotus goiavier) lend flashes of colour as they flit from tree to tree. The park is also a home and hunting ground to populations of squirrels, bats and lizards.

To cater to different palates, Fort Canning Park also houses three restaurants – Flutes at the Fort, The Cafe and Legends Garden. For those who love to cook, there is the culinary academy, at-sunrice, offering lessons on Pan-Asian cooking as well as tours of Fort Canning Park’s Spice Garden. Archaeological excavations prove the vitality of Fort Canning Hill’s history as far back as the 14th century when it was the seat of the Malay Kingdom, Temasek. According to the Malay Annals, the site was chosen for settlement by Sri Tri Buana, ruler of Temasek and the one reputed to have seen the fabled lion for which he named the island ‘Singapura’ (Lion City). Beleaguered by attacks from the Siamese and Majapahit, the last known ruler of Temasek, Iskandar Syah, fled from the settlement. Except for minimal portside activity, little was known of the island until the arrival of Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819.

The Malay locals who received Raffles pointed him to the hill they called Bukit Larangan, which means in Malay ‘Forbidden Hill’. They were fearful of climbing the hill as they thought the palace of their ancestor kings had once stood there. Raffles had part of the hill cleared of jungle, revealing the ruins of ancient brick buildings, which gave support to the legends. Because of the beautiful view the hill commanded, Raffles chose to build his bungalow and to establish the first botanical garden here in 1822. Until mid-19th century, Singapore’s governors were residents here; thus the epithet ‘Government Hill’.

Around 1860, the colonial government turned the hill into a fort bearing the name of Viscount Charles John Canning, Governor-General and the first Viceroy of India. From that time until the 1970s, Fort Canning was used as a military base, first by the British, then by the Japanese during Second World War, and lastly by the Republic’s armed forces. Once the forbidden hill of ancient Malay royalty and later the Far East Command Centre of the British, today’s Fort Canning Park beckons visitors to a tranquil, green oasis. Capitalising on the rich historical assets of the old citadel, the National Parks Board has revitalised Fort Canning into a unique city park with many popular art performances, events and concerts to serve the populace of Singapore.

Courtesy of Singapore National Parks Board