Singapura celebrates 500th birthday, milestone marked by a 1524 inscription

Bengaluru: Residents of Singapura celebrated the town’s 500th anniversary on Monday evening, marking a milestone based on an inscription dated November 26, 1524 — the earliest historical reference to Singapura.

The three-day celebration, running from November 25 to 27, includes cultural and religious programmes, along with the distribution of prasadam to residents. The Mythic Society has dubbed November 26 as “Singapura Day”, an initiative led by the town’s residents.

Mohan Nayak, a history enthusiast and Singapura resident, said, “The entire neighbourhood has come together to make this celebration possible. We have organised bhajans and prasadam distribution. On the final day, students from Singapura’s government school will perform a play based on inscriptions about its history.”

Nayak also said special decorations have been made for the deity Tirumale. “This is the second Tirumale after Tirupati.” 

Udaya Kumar PL, city historian and project director of Mythic Society, explained that there are about 35 to 40 localities in Bengaluru with historical inscriptions dating back to 500 to 1,500 years. “The name Bengaluru itself is around 1,100 years old.” 

Kumar observed that people often view history on a broad scale, citing well-known empires while overlooking local history. “What’s remarkable is that, for the first time, a community is coming together to celebrate its own heritage in this way. Ideally, we’d love to see communities from Domlur to Sarakki do the same. Every locality should celebrate its history and heritage like this,” he remarked.