September 17, 2025

As India and Singapore celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of their bilateral strategic partnership this year, it is important to reflect on the deep historical and cultural ties that have long connected these two nations. Most conspicuously seen in its 14th century Sanskrit name, Singapura, Singapore’s pre-colonial history is rich with Indic influences. Indic influences shaped not only Singapore’s, but the wider Southeast Asia’s early civilisation, leaving an enduring legacy on the region’s languages, architecture, and belief-systems.  

In ‘Singapore’s Pre-Colonial Ties with India’ (India on Our Minds, 2020), Dr Sureshkumar Muthukumaran (NUS History) examines how pre-colonial Singapore was not only influenced by Indian civilisation but also actively engaged in the exchange of ideas, goods, and people. He illustrates how Southeast Asian rulers, including those from Singapore, adopted Indic political and religious concepts, and incorporated Indian cultural elements to suit their needs.  

Dr Muthukumaran points to one of the most significant pieces of evidence supporting the Indic links of pre-colonial Singapore, the Singapore Stone, a large inscribed boulder that once stood at the mouth of the Singapore River. Believed to date back to the 10th to 13th centuries, the artefact bears an inscription of a Sanskrit record in Kawi characters. While the stone is too fragmented to form any cohesively meaningful reading, scholars have been able to decipher certain elements of the inscription that align with historical accounts, such as the narratives in the Malay Annals, a prominent historical text from the region. The narratives in the Malay Annals recount the dynastic links between Singapore’s rulers and Indian royalty, suggesting both political and matrimonial alliances with Indian lineages. Such narratives, although embellished with myths, reflect the broader Indo-Southeast Asian cosmopolitanism of the time. 

The enduring relationship between India and Singapore continues to thrive today, echoing the historical connections between the two nations. In 2024, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a ceremonial welcome in Singapore, where he met President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. They reaffirmed their longstanding bilateral ties and exchanged four memorandums of understanding (MOUs) at the Parliament House, signalling greater collaboration in various sectors like digital technologies and healthcare. The modern partnership serves as a testament to the ongoing cultural and economic exchanges that have roots in Singapore’s pre-colonial ties with India. 

Read the article here.