Elephant statue



Singapore Infopedia

by Cornelius, Vernon




The “elephant statue” is a bronze monument located at the High Street entrance of the Old Parliament House (formerly known as the Old Court House, now The Arts House1) in the Downtown Core of Singapore’s Central Region. It was a gift from Thailand’s King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) to commemorate his visit to Singapore in 1871 – the first by a Thai monarch. The statue was originally erected in front of the Victoria Memorial Hall on 25 June 1872.2 It was moved to the Old Court House in 1919, when the statue of Stamford Raffles was put in its place for Singapore’s centenary celebrations.3

History
Credited for modernising Thailand,4 Chulalongkorn – also known as Phra Piya Maharaj or the “the most beloved king” – was the fifth sovereign of the royal dynasty that founded Bangkok.5 His visit to Singapore marked the first time a Thai monarch had ever visited a foreign country.6

On 15 March 1871, Chulalongkorn arrived in Singapore in his yacht, the Regent, with a convoy of two other ships and a total of 66 followers. They were greeted on arrival with a gun salute by ships decked up for the occasion.7

The king landed at Johnston’s Pier the following day. He was received with the highest honour by Colonel A. E. H. Anson  who was administering in the absence of then Governor Harry St George Ord, as well as all government officials, military and naval officers, and foreign dignitaries. The royal visitor stayed at the Government House (now The Istana). He was accompanied by his two brothers, his team of officials and a private secretary. One of the highlights of his visit was a stop at the office of Eastern Telegraph, where he took the opportunity to transmit a cable to Queen Victoria.8

Chulalongkorn’s official state visit was the start of close friendship ties between Thailand and Singapore. The king made a second visit to Singapore on 30 May 1890.9

Description
The elephant statue was given to the people of Singapore to commemorate Chulalongkorn’s visit to Singapore between 16 and 23 March 1871, and as a token of the king’s gratitude for the hospitality he had received during his visit. The statue was erected on 25 June 1872 and originally placed in front of the Victoria Memorial Hall. It was relocated to the front of the Old Court House in 1919, when the statue of Raffles replaced it outside the Victoria Memorial Hall for Singapore’s centenary celebrations.10

The elephant statue was cast in bronze in Bangkok, and mounted on a high pedestal. The pedestal bears inscriptions in Siamese, Jawi, Chinese and English. It reads: “His Majesty Somdetch Paramindr Maha Chulalongkorn, the Supreme King of Siam, landed at Singapore, the first foreign land visited by a Siamese Monarch, on the 16th March, 1871".11



Author

Vernon Cornelius-Takahama



References
1. “History,” Arts House Limited, last retrieved 24 June 2019.  
2. S. Ramachandra, Singapore Landmarks: Past and Present (Singapore: Eastern Universities Press, 1961), 20. (Call no. RCLOS 959.57 RAM)
3. Dhoraisingam S. Samuel, Singapore’s Heritage: Through Places of Historical Interest (Singapore: Author, 2010), 30. (Call no. RSING 959.57 SAM-[HIS])
4. Samuel, Singapore’s Heritage, 30.
5. “Founding of the Chakri Dynasty,” Straits Times, 28 March 1982, 2. (From NewspaperSG); Ramachandra, Singapore Landmarks, 22.
6. Samuel, Singapore’s Heritage, 30.
7. Ramachandra, Singapore Landmarks, 20–21.
8. Ramachandra, Singapore Landmarks, 20–21; “Monday 13th March,” Straits Times Overland, 13 March 1871, 8; “Saturday 25th March,” Straits Times Overland, 29 March 1871, 7. (From NewspaperSG)
9. Ramachandra, Singapore Landmarks, 23.
10. Samuel, Singapore’s Heritage, 30; Ramachandra, Singapore Landmarks, 20.
11. Ramachandra, Singapore Landmarks, 22.



The information in this article is valid as at June 2019 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

 


Rights Statement

The information on this page and any images that appear here may be used for private research and study purposes only. They may not be copied, altered or amended in any way without first gaining the permission of the copyright holder.

More to Explore

Bendemeer House

ARTICLE

Located off Serangoon Road, Bendemeer House was formerly called the House of Whampoa or Whampoa House. It was a mansion designed and built in 1840 by Hoo Ah Kay (better known as Whampoa), a Kapitan China (“leader of the Chinese people”) of Singapore. In 1964, the government acquired the historic...

Tanglin

ARTICLE

Tanglin is an area whose hilly terrain includes Leonie, Cluny, Emerald, Mount Elizabeth, Claymore, Nassim and and Goodwood hills. ...

Cavenagh Bridge

ARTICLE

Cavenagh Bridge is located across the Singapore River in the Central Region. It is named after William Orfeur Cavenagh, the last governor of the Straits Settlements (1859–67) under British India control. The bridge, completed in 1869, is the oldest bridge across the Singapore River. It was the last major work...

Havelock Road

ARTICLE

Havelock Road is a street located in the Central Region of Singapore. It starts where Kim Seng Road meets Outram Road, goes down along and almost parallel to the Singapore River, and stretches until Eu Tong Sen Street before it opens into Upper Pickering Street. Havelock Road was named by...

North Bridge Road

ARTICLE

North Bridge Road is one of the earliest roads in Singapore. It runs through the downtown core and Rochor and Kallang areas in the central region. The road begins at Crawfurd Street and ends where Elgin Bridge crosses into South Bridge Road. ...

Stamford Road

ARTICLE

Stamford Road is a street in the Museum Precinct of the Central Region. Named after Singapore’s founder, Stamford Raffles, Stamford Road stretches from the Esplanade to Fort Canning. In the 1840s, part of the road was called Hospital Street, due to a nearby hospital. ...

Sungei Road

ARTICLE

Sungei Road begins at the junction of Selegie Road and Serangoon Road and runs parallel to Rochor Canal Road. Translated literally, Sungei Road means “River Road”, a reference to the Rochor River that flows alongside the road. From the 1930s to 1980s, the road was synonymous with Thieves Market, a...

Jinrikisha Station

ARTICLE

Located at the junction of Neil Road and Tanjong Pagar Road, the Jinrikisha (also spelt as “Jinricksha”) Station was built in 1903 and opened the following year, serving as the main depot for rickshaws. Following the 1947 ban on rickshaws in Singapore, the building was used for several other purposes,...

Kranji Road

ARTICLE

Kranji Road is a two-way road that begins at the junction of Woodlands Road and Turf Club Avenue, and ends near Kranji Loop. The road is named after a local tree, the pokok keranji (Malay for kranji or keranji tree) or the Dialium indum, which was found in abundance in...

Bedok Reservoir

ARTICLE

Bedok Reservoir, located off Reservoir Road in Bedok, was one of the two reservoirs built by the Public Utilities Board (PUB) as part of its Sungei Seletar/Bedok Water Scheme. Construction work for the scheme began in 1983 and was completed in 1986 at a cost of S$277 million. The reservoir...