The Four Summits of Bukit Timah

Summary: The Bukit Timah ridge contains four peaks over 140 m. From maps dating back to 1846, the presence of three of these peaks were already known. The highest summit which is commonly known as "Bukit Timah Summit" is the east summit (Official height, 163.63 m). I have recently measured the height of the West Summit to be 162.8m, or roughly about 0.8 m shorter than the East Summit. I also measured the height of the North Summit as 142 m. 

Figure 1. Portion of the 1855 Hydrographic Chart by S. Congalton and J.T. Thomson. The 'Bukit Timah' feature is represented by three separate peaks on the map [1].

In the 1846 Hydrographic Chart by S. Congalton and J.T. Thomson [1], Bukit Timah is represented as a group of three peaks. (Shown in Figure 1 is the 1855 updated version of the 1846 edition, which I can't get a high enough resolution screen capture of). Initially, one may easily miss these details or simply attribute this to some form of fictional artwork. However, when I counter checked with more modern topographical maps, it confirms that these features on the 1846 maps are real and significant and the three peaks really do represent the real terrain of Bukit Timah.   

On the 2005 1:25000 topographical map (See Figure 2) [2], one can distinctly see four summits over 140 m, which I have marked out in blue on the map in Figure 2. The four summits are roughly arranged in a ‘chair’ shape, and I shall term them the north (N), west (W), east (E) and south (S) summits. If you compare the two maps, the three peaks on the 1846/55 map looks like they are representations of the East, West and South Summits. 

Figure 2. Portion of the 2005 Topographical Map Of Singapore [2]. This map shows that there are four summits over 140 m on the Bukit Timah Ridge, which I have marked out in blue. The darker blue (W)est, (E)ast and (S)outh summits seem to correspond to the three peaks featured in the 1846/55 map of Figure 1.

So where are these three (or four) summits of Bukit Timah?

East Summit: Most people will be familiar with this summit. It is the prominently marked 'Bukit Timah Summit', with a nice shelter and a large rock summit marker (Figure 3). The East summit is the highest geographical point in Singapore and has been measured to be 163.63 m high in a GPS survey [3]. This summit is denoted as the East Summit 'E' in the map of Figure 2.

Figure 3. The 'Bukit Timah Summit' that most people are familiar with, with an altitude of 163.63 m. The summit will be termed as the East Summit here. The summit marker on the right is a popular selfie/wefie landmark, marking the tallest geographical point on the island. (photo taken 17-12-2020)

South Summit: Besides the East Summit, the most prominent summit is probably the South Summit. It is the most exposed peak and easily visible from afar. On this summit is where the VHF radio station and towers are (See Figure 4), hence making it easily identifiable. The only published altitude of this summit that I can find is 146.6 m which appears on a 1970 1:10000 survey map (See Figure 5) [4]. 

Figure 4. View of the Bukit Timah South Summit, from Hinhede Quarry. The summit is capped with the VHF radio transmission station and towers (photo taken 17-12-2020).

North Summit: Possibly because it is shorter and deeper in the ridge, the North Summit did not feature in the 1846/1855 maps. There is no published height of this summit that I can find, but one can estimate its height from the available topographical maps (for example Fig. 2 and 5). The contour lines suggest that the summit height is at least 140 m. My recent determination of its height will be reported below.

Figure 5. Portion of the a 1970 Topographical Map [1:2500] of the Bukit Panjang - Bukit Timah Nature Reserve [4]. Marked on the map are the (N)orth, (W)est, (E)ast and (S)outh summits. 

West Summit: The West Summit is the most intriguing one. On the 2005 topographical map (Figure 2), the contour lines suggest that this summit, though not marked, is more than 160 m. A further search led me to the 1970 topographical map [4] (Figure 5). On it, the East Summit (a.k.a. the accepted highest point of Singapore, 'Bukit Timah Summit'. See above) is marked as 533 ft (162.5 m), while the West Summit, although with no altitude marked, has a contour line at 540 ft (164.6 m). This seems to suggest that the West Summit is actually higher than the East Summit! This got me slightly excited. Could it be that all along, we had been misled into thinking that the East Summit is the highest, and unbeknownst to most, the West Summit is in fact the highest geographical point in Singapore?! Furthermore, the 1970 map is not the only one which had the West Summit taller. A 1978 topographical map [5] (Figure 6) also has a 165 m contour line around the West Summit while the East Summit is marked as 163 m.

Figure 6. Portion of the a 1978 Topographical Map of the Bukit Timah Area [5]. Contour lines are shown at 5 meter intervals.

Not being able to find any records on whether there have been any altitude measurements done at the West Summit, I decided the easiest way to answer the question of whether the West Summit is indeed higher than the East Summit, is to measure the summit heights myself.

Since the height of the East Summit is known (at 163.63 m), what I really need to measure is the relative altitude between the West Summit and East Summit. Although the two Summits are separated by only slightly more than 200 m, there is thick vegetation between them. Thus relying on a line of sight determination of their relative height is quite impossible. The simplest solution I thought, was to use barometric measurements to find the relative pressure at the two summits. The higher summit should have a lower pressure. It is the same reason why the pressure on top of Mt Everest is only a third of that at sea level.  

Fortunately measuring pressure is easily doable and can be achieved with very decent precision. It turns out that some smartphones have barometric sensors and can measure pressure, i.e. I can use these kinds of smartphones as portable barometers. I therefore purchased a pair of Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphones from Lazada and used them to do my barometric measurements (Figure 7). The Samsung Galaxy S4 contains a BMP180 barometric pressure sensor chip with an equivalent altitude precision of about 0.17 m [6]. I will skip the details of the calibration and exact measurement procedure and only present the results below. Do contact me if you want more details on how the measurements and data analysis are done.

Figure 7. My pair of portable barometers (Samsung S4 smartphones) on the ground at the West Summit collecting data (photo taken 03-12-2020). 

With the help of my nephew, I measured the relative heights between the the West and East Summit on two dates, 30th Oct. 2020 and 3rd December 2020. In Figure 7, I show a picture of the smartphones at the West Summit collecting data. The data was then processed and analysed. 

Results: It was determined that the West Summit is indeed shorter than the East Summit by 0.8 m (with an uncertainty of about 0.3 m). Using the known altitude of the East Summit as a reference, this means that the West Summit has a height of 162.8 +/- 0.3 m. The saddle point between the two summits was measured to be 148.2 +/- 0.3 m. So, as it turns out, the 'Bukit Timah Summit' is correctly the tallest geographical spot of the land, although the West Summit came really really close! 

A similar measurement was performed for the North Summit, and its altitude was determined to be 141.9 +/- 0.5 m. The saddle point between the West and North summits was measured to be 127.0 +/- 0.7 m. 

The South Summit is within the telecommunication facilities compound and I can't do any measurements there, so we shall have to rely on the information on the 1970 map (Figure 5). From the same topographical map, the saddle point between the East and West Summits can be estimated to be approximately 135.5 m.  

To summarize, the heights of the four highest summits of the Bukit Timah Ridge is given below in round brackets. The square brackets give the prominence of the summits, which is its height minus the saddle point with its parent summit (in this case, the East Summit). 

1. East Summit (163.63 m)
2. West Summit (162.8 m) [14.6 m] 
3. South Summit (146.6 m) [11.1 m]
4. North Summit (141.9 m) [14.9 m] 

Given this, can we then say that the West, South and North Summits are the 2nd, 3rd and 4th highest point in Singapore, given that Bukit Gombak Hill is at 139 m? That is a tricky question, and I do not want to wade into this argument currently. Perhaps some other time. 

Appendix: Directions to the Summits.

Figure 8. Map with roads and paths of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and where the four summits are located (Blue Flags).

East Summit: From the Visitor's center, take the Main Summit Road all the way till you see the shelter and the large rock summit marker (Figure 3). You can't miss it. 

West Summit: From the Main Summit Road, branch off to 'Jungle Falls Path'. After about a hundred meters, you should see a map board (See Figure 9). Behind the signboard is a slight rise in the terrain. The West Summit is right there. The Summit is in semi-thick vegetation and there is no markers to mark the summit. 

Figure 9. Off the 'Main Road' on 'Jungle Falls Path'. You will see this map board after about a hundred meters. Behind the map board is a slight rise in the terrain where the West Summit is. 

South Summit: Being within the Telecoms compound, the South summit is off-limit to the public. You can only get to the guarded gate of the compound. This gate can be reached by taking the road that branches off from the Main Summit Road at Simpang Hut.  

North Summit: Take the flight of steps about a hundred meters away on the East Summit. The steps lead down to Renges Path which then joins North View Path after a junction with Seraya Path. From the junction, North View path will gently rise to a crest after about 60 meters, before tapering down. That crest is the North Summit (See Figure 10). 

Figure 10. The crest on the North View Path is where the North Summit is. Or to be exact, somewhere about the grounds right beside the path you see in the picture, is the North Summit. On the right, you can see where I have placed my Samsung S4 smartphones for the barometric measurements (photo taken 03-12-2020).

References

[1] This Survey Of The Straits Of Singapore, Is Respectfully Inscribed To The Honourable Colonel Butterworth, C.B. Governor of Prince of Wales Island, Singapore & Malacca, by his most obedient servants, Samuel Congalton, Comm: H. C. Steamer, Diana, J. T. Thomson, Government Surveyor, 1846. (James M. Richardson, London, 1846). Retrievable from National Archives of Singapore. For Figure 1, I have used instead the updated 1855 edition, Retrievable from National Archives of Singapore.

[2] Singapore Series L802 Edition 10 SMU [1:25,000 Topographical Map] (Mapping Unit, Ministry of Defense, Singapore, 2005). Retrieved from https://libmaps.nus.edu.sg/  

[3] From conversations with Mok Ly Yng. The plaque on the summit rock records that the GPS measurement was carried out by GPS LANDS (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. founded in 2000. So the measurement of the summit height must have been performed post-2000. 

[4] Singapore Instrumental Plot - Bukit Panjang - Bukit Timah Nature Reserve [1:2,500 Topographical Map] (Produced by Fairey Surveys Ltd. for the Government of Singapore, Singapore, 1970). Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore. 

[5]  Singapore Series SMU 010 Sheet 15 Edition 1 SMU [1:10,000 Topographical Map] (Mapping Branch, Ministry of Defense, Singapore, 1978). Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore. 

[6] https://www.eenewseurope.com/news/pressure-sensor-enables-altitude-accuracy-within-8cm

    

 

The Rise and Fall of Bukit Panjang

Summary: The hill of Bukit Panjang first appeared on maps in 1846 1848. By 1898, the long ridge that originally bears the name of Bukit Panjang has two marked peaks on it, Bukit Gombak (437 ft) and Bukit Panjang (434 ft), making them the 2nd and 3rd highest hill in Singapore, respectively. By 1974 or 75, quarrying activities have reduced Bukit Panjang's height to 113 m. On maps, the hill seem to have lost its name by 1983. By 1993, it was further reduced to a height of 112 m.  

Figure 1. On this 2010 topographical map of Singapore [1], Bukit Panjang the new town is situated at the topof the picture, straddling Bukit Panjang Road. Diagonally across the junction is the contours of a ridge. Although there marked a trigonometrical point '133 Bt. Gombak I', there is no mention of any hill here named Bukit Panjang. Where then, is Bukit Panjang Hill? 

The new town of Bukit Panjang is named after a hill called Bukit Panjang. That much is obvious, but what is less obvious is the location of this hill. There is indeed a hill nearby, opposite from the new town of Bukit Panjang across Upper Bukit Timah Road (where the the Singapore Ministry of Defence sprawls over). However, on recent topographical maps of Singapore (See for example the 2010 topographical map featured in Figure 1) [1], you do not actually see the hill marked as Bukit Panjang, rather, it is labeled as Bukit Gombak. So where then, is Bukit Panjang? An interesting blog page answered this question [2]. But the story rather intrigued me, and I started to dig into the old maps of Singapore to try to figure out more of the history of Bukit Panjang the Hill. So here I make a report of the rise and fall of Bukit Panjang through the ages, according to maps...

The earliest mention of Bukit Panjang on maps is in the "Map Of The Old Straits, Or Silat Tambrau And The Creeks To The North Of Singapore Island" [3] (Figure 2), surveyed by J.T. Thomson, the Straits Settlement's Government Surveyor (and the 'Thomson' of 'Thomson Road'), in April 1848. (See Addendum below)

Figure 2. Portion of "Map Of The Old Straits, Or Silat Tambrau And The Creeks To The North Of Singapore Island" [3] dated 1848, that shows Bukit Panjang, together with Bukit Timah and Bukit Mandai.

Subsequently, in 1849, was published "Map Of Singapore Island And Its Dependencies" [4], the earliest map that shows the whole island, plus its interior development [5]. The map (See Figure 3), also depicts Bukit Panjang (and the other Bukits) rather similar to the 1848 map (Figure 2). Apart from the Bukits, you can also see Bukit Timah Road linking the City to the interior and northwards to the Straits of Johore. 

Figure 3. Portion of "Map Of Singapore Island And Its Dependencies" (J.T. Thomson, 1849) [4]. 

This 1849 "Map Of Singapore Island And Its Dependencies" is the first of a long series of maps of the same name that successively show more and more development and details of the interior of Singapore island. The next in the series, from 1852 (See Figure 4), depicts the hill in a long form, befitting its name "Panjang" which means "long". Curiously, the name of the hill was corrupted to "Bukit Panjallang" in this map. 

Figure 4. Portion of "Map Of Singapore Island And Its Dependencies" (J.T. Thomson, 1852) [6] that shows 'Bukit Pan jallang'. The feature of the hill is also distinctively long. as expected of the descriptive name of 'panjang'.  

In the 1873 edition [7], a village has also popped up at the foot of Bukit Panjang (See Figure 5), which can be counted as the direct ancestor of Bukit Panjang, I suppose.

Figure 5. Portion of "Map Of the Island of Singapore And Its Dependencies" (1873) [7]. A 'Village' appeared along the Bukit Timah Road, at the foot of Bukit Panjang. I guess we can call this the ancestor of Bukit Panjang new town.

The 1898 edition of the "Map Of the Island of Singapore And Its Dependencies" [8] shows a dramatic change (See Figure 6). Along the long hill feature that was Bukit Panjang, is now labelled two 'Bukits'. Bukit Panjang still remains but is now more specifically a point on the northern part of the ridge, while a "Bukit Gombak" occupies a point on the southern part of the ridge. This seems to be the earliest mention of "Bukit Gombak" on maps. To add salt to the wound, not only did Bukit Panjang lose its 'monopoly' over the whole ridge, it was now not even the tallest on the ridge. You can see on the map, the heights of the hills have also been added, with Bukit Gombak at 437 ft (133.2 m) dethroning Bukit Panjang at 434 ft (132.3 m). This made Bukit Gombak and Bukit Panjang, the second and third tallest hills in the country [9]. Incidentally, Bukit Batok also made its debut on this map.

Figure 6. Portion of "Map Of Singapore Island And Its Dependencies" (1898) [8]. It shows the original Bukit Panjang Ridge has now two peaks. At the north end of the ridge, Bukit Panjang at 434 ft (132.3 m) and at the south end of the ridge, Bukit Gombak at 437 ft (133.2 m). This is the first time Bukit Gombak appears on maps. Incidentally, Bukit Batok (South of the Bukit Gombak), also made its debut.

In an early topographical map of Singapore dating from 1932 [10] (Figure 7), you can get a better idea of the terrain of the Bukit Panjang/Gombak ridge (Left of the north-south going railway line (black and white) and Bukit Timah road (red). Right of the rail and road, you can see 'BT. Panjang Village'. Although Bukit Panjang has been dethroned, it does have the consolation of having a village named after it, and the general area of the long ridge marked as part of the Bukit Panjang Forest Reserve (BT. PANJANG F.R.). 

Figure 7. Portion of the 1932 Topographical Map Of Singapore Island [10]. Contours showing the terrain of the original Bukit Panjang/Gombak Ridge (Top left area of map). 

Through World War II till independence, the terrain stayed pretty much the same, although development, especially after 1950s, will soon drastically change the landscape. Fast forward to 1966. On the 1:25000 topographical map of 1966 (See Figure 8), Bukit Panjang is still marked as 434 ft. However, beside it, you can also see "Lian Hup Quarry". Ominously, you can see features that resemble teeth biting into the hill, detailing the results of quarrying activities. In fact, quarrying on Bukit Panjang has been on going for a while, and Lian Hup Quarry has already appeared on maps since as early as 1953.

Figure 8. Portion of the 1966 Topographical Map Of Singapore Island [11]. Inside the blue box is Bukit Panjang still at 434 ft (132 m) but threatened by the quarrying activity of 'Lian Hup Quarry'.

Thanks to the quarrying activities, by 1974, the top of the hill was no more. The 1:25000 topographical map of 1975 [12] (Figure 9) shows that in place of the hill top, a big hole has appeared, and the high point, denoted by a dot, has shifted east a bit and reduced to 113 m. 

Figure 9. Portion of the 1975 Topographical Map Of Singapore [12]. Lian Hup Quarry has erased the top of Bukit Panjang. The new highpoint of 113 m is on its eastern flank, as pointed out by the arrow.

Bukit Panjang Hill suffered further humiliations. It seemed to have lost even its name on maps from 1983 onwards. In Figure 10, in the blue box is the remnant of the hill with its 100 m contour line devoid of any name or label, while Bukit Gombak lies unscathed, and thriving. 

Figure 10. Portion of the 1983 Topographical Map Of Singapore [13]. Within the blue box, the 100 m contour line representing the remnant of the hill, devoid of any name or label.

By 1993, further quarrying scrapped away the northern part of the remnant summit of Bukit Panjang, and the highpoint shifted slightly south and further reduced to a height of 112 m (as pointed out by the arrow in Figure 11).

Figure 11. Portion of the 1993 Topographical Map Of Singapore Island [14], with further reduced summit and a new highpoint of 112 m.

That pretty much remains as it was till the present, it seems. In the meantime, the ridge has been overtaken by the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), and sealed off from public access. Figure 12 is a screenshot taken (30th Aug. 2020) from Google Map of the Bukit Panjang/Gombak ridge. 'BP' and 'BG' marks Bukit Panjang (where the 112 m point is) and Bukit Gombak respectively. BP is now right behind the "National Security Coordination Centre" which looks like it is the main building of MINDEF (Our Pentagon). The blue circle beside is the quarry hole where the original Bukit Panjang summit used to be. Although reduced to 112 m presently (it is still marked as 112 m in the 2017 edition of the 1:50,000 topographical Map Of Singapore Island), it still retained its '3rd tallest hill' title in Singapore [15] due to the fact that Bukit Mandai, which was originally at 129 m suffered a worse fate than Bukit Panjang, but that will be another tale to tell in another later blog page. 

Figure 12. Google map (retrieved 30th Aug. 2020), the marker labelled BP shows the location of the 112 m peak of the reduced Bukit Panjang. BG = Bukit Gombak. The blue circle marks the remnants of the quarry that 'ate up' the original summit of Bukit Panjang. 

Addendum (25th Sept 2020): An earlier mention of Bukit Panjang on maps can be found on a hydrographic chart "...Survey Of The Straits Of Singapore..." published in 1846, made by Samuel Congalton, the Commander of a Steamer, Diana, and  J. T. Thomson, Government Surveyor (See Figure 13). Interestingly, on the map, the name "Bukit Pandan" is used instead, so the 1848 map in Figure 2 may still be the earliest map with the correct "Bukit Panjang" spelling.

Figure 13. Portion of the 1846 Hydrographic Chart by S. Congalton and J.T. Thomson. Note that Bukit Panjang's name is "Bukit Pandan" on the map [16].

References

[1]    Singapore  1:50,000 Series SMU 075, Edition 9 (Mapping Unit, Ministry of Defense, Singapore, 2010). Retrieved from https://libmaps.nus.edu.sg/ 

[2]    https://ijamestann.blogspot.com/2012/07/i-found-bukit-panjang.html

[3]    Map Of The Old Straits, Or Silat Tambrau And The Creeks To The North Of Singapore Island, (J. T. Thomson, 1848). Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore

[4]    Map Of Singapore Island And Its Dependencies. (J. T. Thomson, 1849). Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore

[5]    Mok Ly Yng "Mapping Singapore 1819 - 2014", Visualising Space: Maps of Singapore and the Region, (National  Library Board, Singapore, 2015), pg. 93.

[6]    Map Of Singapore Island And Its Dependencies. (according to [5], attributed to J.T. Thomson , 1852). Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore

[7]    Map Of the Island of Singapore And Its Dependencies. (J.F.A. McNair, 1873). Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore

[8]    Map Of the Island of Singapore And Its Dependencies. (A. Murray, 1898). Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore

[9]     Assuming we exclude the other summits in the  Bukit Timah Massif. I know it is not fair, but anyways, that will be discussed in a later Blog.  

[10]    Singapore and Johore Nos. 3L/11 & 3L/12. [1:63,360 Topographical Map] (Surveyor General F.M.S. and S.S., 1932). Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore

[11]    Singapore and Johore Series L802, Edition 1-DNMM [1:25,000 Topographical Map] (Chief Surveyor, Malaysia, 1966). Retrieved from https://libmaps.nus.edu.sg/

[12]    Singapore Series SMU 025 [1:25,000 Topographical Map] (Mapping Unit, Ministry of Defense, Singapore, 1975). Retrieved from https://libmaps.nus.edu.sg/

[13]    Singapore  1:50,000 Series SMU 075, Edition 3 (Mapping Unit, Ministry of Defense, Singapore, 1983). Retrieved from https://libmaps.nus.edu.sg/

[14]    Singapore  1:50,000 Series SMU 075, Edition 5 (Mapping Unit, Ministry of Defense, Singapore, 1993). Retrieved from https://libmaps.nus.edu.sg/

[15]    https://hyperbolictans.wixsite.com/singaporebukits https://sites.google.com/view/sgbukits/home 

[16]    This Survey Of The Straits Of Singapore, Is Respectfully Inscribed To The Honourable Colonel Butterworth, C.B. Governor of Prince of Wales Island, Singapore & Malacca, by his most obedient servants, Samuel Congalton, Comm: H. C. Steamer, Diana, J. T. Thomson, Government Surveyor, 1846. (James M. Richardson, London, 1846). Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore        

       

An early "Singaporean's" visit to China

The early "Singaporean" here is Parameswara. His destination, today's Nanjing, in Jiangsu province, China. The date, 1411 CE.

Parameswara was the founding ruler of the Malay Kingdom circa 1400 CE that became the Melaka Sultanate. He had originally been the ruler of Singapura before being turned out of the place in ~1396 CE. His reign in Melaka lasted till 1414 [1,2]. 

Nanjing was the capital of early Ming dynasty in China, from 1368, the start of the reign of the first Ming emperor Hongwu 洪武 till 1420 towards the near the end of the reign of the third emperor Yongle 永乐, when the capital was moved northwards to Beijing. 

Parameswara (拜裡迷蘇剌 Bai li mi su la) as a King of a vassal state to China, paid a homage visit to imperial capital of the Ming Dynasty in the 9th year of Yongle reign (1411). He and his gigantic entourage of 540 people got a lift from Zheng He's fleet which was returning back to China after their third voyage to the 'Western Seas' [2] 

Parameswara's visit to the Ming imperial capital was recorded in the 《太宗文皇帝实录》 "The Veritable Records of the Taizong Wen Emperor (Emperor Yongle)". These are part of 明实录"The Veritable Records of the Ming Dynasty" which is an official compilation of the accounts of all the Ming emperors' reigns [3]. Here are the extracts from the Veritable Records that relates to Parameswara's visit:

Yongle Year 9, Month 7, Day 15 (4th Aug 1411)

...满刺加国王拜里迷苏刺来朝遣中官海寿礼部郎中黄裳等往宴劳之... [4]

The King of Melaka Parameswara arrived. Officials Hai Tao, Huang Shang and others were sent to feast their arrival...

Yongle Year 9, Month 7, Day 25 (14th Aug 1411)

...满剌加国王拜里迷苏刺率其妻子及陪臣五百四十馀人入朝初 上闻之念其轻去乡土跋涉海道以来即遣官往劳复命有供张会同馆是日奉表入见并献方物 上御奉天门宴劳之... [4]

The King of Melaka Parameswara led his wife and accompanying officials to the number of more than five hundred and forty to attend the imperial court (at Fengtian dian (palace) 奉天殿 [5]). The emperor commanded to set up tent (provide lodging?) at 会同馆 (Huitong guan (building)).... The Emperor feasted the visitors at 奉天门 (Fengtian men (gate))...

Yongle Year 9, Month 7, Day 28 (17th Aug 1411)

赐满刺加国王拜里迷苏刺及其妃八儿迷速里等宴于会通馆…[4]

(The emperor) gifted a banquet to Parameswara, his wife and entourage at 会通馆 (Huitong building)...

Yongle Year 9, Month 9, Day 1 (18th Sep 1411)

宴满刺加国王拜里迷苏刺及榜葛刺古里等国使臣云南木邦军民宣慰司等处所遣头目于午门 [6]

Melaka King Parameswara, envoys from Bangla, Kuli (Calicut) and others were banqueted at 午门 (Wu men or 'Noon Gate')

Yongle Year 9, Month 9, Day 15 (2nd Oct 1411)

满刺加国王拜里迷苏刺辞归赐宴于奉天门... [6]

The King of Melaka bade his farewell and was banqueted at 奉天门 (Fengtian Gate)...

And finally away, home they go...

Yongle Year 9, Month 9, Day 18 (5th Oct 1411)

...命礼部宴饯满刺加国王及榜葛刺古里诸国使臣于龙江驿仍赐宴于龙潭驿… [6]

(The emperor) commanded an official to banquet the King of Melaka at 龙江驿 (Longjiang yi or literally "Dragon River Stop"), and again at 龙潭驿 (Longtan yi or literally "Dragon Pool Stop"). 

So what are some of these places that Parameswara visited? One can imagine the glory and bustle of Nanjing during the early days of the Ming. Today, unfortunately most of these spots are long gone. 

午门, 奉天门, 奉天殿

The mostly ruined or razed grounds of the imperial palace, where much of the feasting and feting took place, can still be visited. It is well worth a visit, and it is near to the excellent Nanjing Museum, and not too far away from a major sight of Nanjing, the World Heritage Site of the Mausoleum of the first Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.

午门 or "Noon gate" (Figure 1), where some of the banquets that Parameswara attended were held, is the main entrance into the palace. Some of its bulky majestic structure are still left.

Figure 1. 午门 or "Noon gate". The entrance to the Ming Imperial Palace.

Entering the Noon Gate, a couple of hundred metres later is what is leftover of 奉天门 (Fengtian Gate), where more banquets were held. 

Figure 2. The remains of 奉天门 (Fengtian Gate).午门 or "Noon gate". The entrance to the Ming Imperial Palace.

  

To pay homage to the Ming Emperor, Parameswara will have to attend the court session by entering via Fengtian Gate, where 奉天殿 (Fengtian Palace) is situated (Figure 3 and 4). This is the largest and most majestic building on the palace grounds and was used for court assembly and the most important official events [7].  

Figure 3. The marker of the original location of 奉天殿 (Fengtian Palace). 

Figure 4. The green patches of grass and the patch between them marks the original footprint of 奉天殿 (Fengtian Palace).

Figure 5. Google map snapshot of The Nanjing Ming Palace Museum Relics Park with the landmarks mentioned above. The imperial palace grounds cover roughly the green patches in the middle of the figure. Notice the moat around (blue colour waterways), which marks the approximate boundary of the Imperial Citadel 皇城.

After the capital of the Ming Dynasty was moved to the north (Hence Beijing or Northern Capital) in the 1420s, and Nanjing became Nanjing (Southern Capital), the palace lost its purpose. The invasion by the Qing troops and later warfare during late Qing times 1850-1860s razed the palace grounds to almost nothing. In 1927, the whole place was converted to an airfield! The Nanjing Ming Palace Museum Relics Park was designated a National level protected cultural area in 2006 and is nowadays a pleasant park (Figure 6). 

Figure 6. Plaque proclaiming the Nanjing Ming Palace Museum Relics Park as a National level cultural protected site.

会同馆, 龙江驿, 龙潭驿

To figure out where the other places that Parameswara had been, I had to look up《洪武京城图志》[8] "The maps of the Hongwu Imperial Capital", which is a series of maps of Nanjing, officially commissioned and published in 1395 (28th year of Hongwu Emperor's reign. Hongwu being the reign era of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding Ming emperor and father of Zhu Di, the Yongle emperor). Another reference used is the famous《郑和航海图》(The maritime charts of Zheng He's voyages) [9].   

Figure 7. 官署图 (map of government buildings) from《洪武京城图志》(The maps of the Hongwu Imperial Capital) The red box outlines the Imperial Citadel, that contains the Imperial Palace. The blue box outlines Huitong Building. North is roughly towards the top.

 

Figure 8. 京城山川图 (map of the hills and rivers of the imperial capital) from《洪武京城图志》(The maps of the Hongwu Imperial Capital). The lower red box outlines the Imperial Citadel. The red box on the top left is outlines Huitong Building. North is roughly towards the top.

While in Nanjing, Parameswara was banqueted and probably stayed at 会同馆 (Huitong building), which was the governmental lodge for visiting envoys and dignitaries [8]. This lodge laid on 长安路 [8], a main thoroughfare leading southwest from the south gate 承天门 of the Imperial Citadel 皇城 (The city within the city which contains the major governmental edifices, major sacrificial altars and temples, and the imperial palace grounds). The road and the lodge no longer exist. Figure 7 above shows the 官署图 (map of government buildings) from《洪武京城图志》(The maps of the Hongwu Imperial Capital) where I have marked out the 'Imperial Citadel' (in red) and 'Huitong building' in blue, somewhat southwest of the imperial citadel.

On his departure from Nanjing to return home, Parameswara stopped at 龙江驿 (Longjiang Yi) for yet another banquet. According to《洪武京城图志》, 龙江驿 (Longjiang yi) is another government travel lodge, perhaps serving like a caravanserai, and is situated outside 金川门 (Jinchuan men or literal translated as 'golden river gate'), along the Yangzi jiang river [8]. You can see on the map in Figure 8, 京城山川图  or 'map of the hills and rivers of the imperial capital' from 《洪武京城图志》. In the top left box, is 金川门 which is a gate of the inner city wall, and the great Yangzi jiang river not far beyond. As for Parameswara's next stop, 龙潭驿 (Longtan yi), there are no records in the 《洪武京城图志》. However the place 龙潭 (Longtan) is featured in《郑和航海图》[9], which is shown in Figure 9 below in the blue box. 龙潭 (Longtan) is supposed to be about 60 'li' (chinese miles) from Nanjing [9].  Presumably 龙潭驿 (Longtan yi) is in 龙潭 (Longtan) and therefore can be reached from 观音门 (Guanyin men or Guanyin gate) which is one of the gates of the outer city wall of Nanjing [8] which you can see marked out in the box at the top right of the map in Figure 8.  

Figure 9. Part of 《郑和航海图》 covering the area east of the imperial capital [9]. The 'map' is orientate roughly opposite from the preceding two maps (Figure 7 and 8), i.e. south is top. Note the Yangzi Jiang river near the bottom of the chart. The blue box marks 龙潭 (Longtan) and the nearby red box marks  观音门 (Guanyin gate) which also appears Figure 8. The big rectangle on the right of Figure 9 is the Imperial Citadel.

Where Parameswara went after that, I have no idea as The Veritable Records and Ming Shi say nothing. However, he must have taken a boat somewhere soon after, and returned home. He most definitely did not take the boats of Zheng He's 4th voyage which did not leave China till 1413. We do know he did safely reach home, as he then dispatched his nephew to visit Nanjing, who arrived in Nanjing in July 1412 [3].

References

[1] The Malay Sultanate of Malacca, Muhammad Yusoff Hashim (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, KL, 1992)

[2] Wang Gungwu, "The First Three Rulers of Malacca". JMBRAS 41, 1 (July 1968), 11-22.

[3] Southeast Asia in the Ming Shi-lu. An Open Access Resource.  yihttp://epress.nus.edu.sg/msl/

[4] 《太宗文皇帝实录卷一百十七》

[5] 《明史, 卷三百二十五, 列传第二百一十三, 外国六, 滿剌加》

[6] 《太宗文皇帝实录卷一百十九》

[7] 《中国宫殿史》（修订本）, 雷从云，陈绍棣，林秀贞 (百花文艺出版社, 天津，2005)

[8] 《洪武京城图志》南京稀见文献丛刊 (南京出版社, 南京, 2017)

[9] 《郑和航海图》整理：向达 (中华书局, 北京, 1961) , pg 24.

Date of my visit to Nanjing: 22nd May 2016