- Telok Blangah
SG neighbourhood
image
englishname=Telok Blangah
chinesename=直落布兰雅
poj=
pengim=
pinyin=zhíluò bùlányǎ
malayname=Telok Blangah
tamilname=தேலோக் பிளாங்காTelok Blangah is a district in
Singapore to the south-west of the Central Business District in the southern part of the island. It is part of theBukit Merah Planning Area , anurban planning zone under theUrban Redevelopment Authority .Etymology
"Telok Blangah" in Malay means "cooking pot
bay ", and covers the area behindKeppel Harbour . "Blanga" is a cookingpot made ofclay used by thesouthern India ns. The district name is derived from this cooking pot shape of the bay. "Teluk Blanga" is the district betweenPasir Panjang andTanjong Pagar ."Teluk Blanga" is known as "sit lat mng" in Hokkien, meaning "Singapore gate" or "north west gate".
History
John Turnbull Thomson did an 1849 painting fromPulau Brani entitled "Telloh Blangah", which shows the area of theTemenggong 's village (now the Johor Sultan's mosque and burial area) at the foot ofMount Faber (formerly Telok Blangah Hill).Telok Blangah Hill was renamed Mount Faber in 1845. Historically, this area is as old as the thirteenth century city of
Temasek . According to a Malay legend, the Prince ofPalembang , Sri Tri Buana's boat ran into a storm and he threw everything overboard, including his crown before landing just off Telok Blangah beach.The area gained prominence again during the British period when
Sir Stamford Raffles in 1823 assignedTemenggong Abdul Rahman (died 1826) and his followers convert|200|acre|km2 of land for their residence and a cemetery. The area flourished under Temenggong Abdul Rahman because of hismonopoly over thegutta percha trade.Rahman's son, Daing Ibrahim, took over after his father's death. Abu Baker took over in 1862 and moved his
Istana to Tyersall Road.In 1885, when the Temenggong became the Sultan of Johor, Abu Baker moved to
Johor Bahru . However, the former Temenggong's audience hall (now the Sultan of Johor's mosque, Masjid Jamek) still remains in the area. The last to be buried was Ungku Modh. Khalif (or Khalid), younger brother of Sultan Abubakar of Johore in 1900.Telok Blangah Road was officially named in 1907. The shrine of Puteri
Raden Mas Ayu , a sixteenth century Javanese princess, is located at Mount Faber Road, near the junction with Telok Blangah Road.References
*Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2003), "Toponymics - A Study of Singapore Street Names", Eastern Universities Press, ISBN 981-210-205-1
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