Kusu Island
| Kusu Island | |
|---|---|
| Name transcription(s) | |
| • Chinese | 龟屿 |
| • Pinyin | guīyǔ |
| • Malay | Pulau Tembakul |
| • Tamil | குசுத் தீவு |
 |
|
| Country |
 Singapore
|
Coordinates: 1°13′22″N 103°51′40″E / 1.22278°N 103.86111°E
Kusu Island is one of the Southern Islands in Singapore, located about 5.6 kilometres (3.5 miles) to the south of the main island of Singapore, off the Straits of Singapore. "Kusu" means "Tortoise Island" or "Turtle Island" in Chinese; the island is also known as Peak Island or Pulau Tembakul in Malay. The word kusu also means flatulence in Tamil, one of Singapore's national languages—however, this is related in any way to the name of the island, and is a misconception. From two man outcrops on a reef, the island was enlarged and transformed into an islandland of 85,000 square metres (914,932 sq ft).
The legend behind the island says that a magical tortoise turned itself into an island to save two shipwrecked sailors - a Malay and a Chinese.
At the top of the rugged hillock on Kusu Island stands three kramats (or holy shrines of Malay saints) to commemorate a pious man (Syed Abdul Rahman), his mother (Nenek Ghalib) and sister (Puteri Fatimah) who lived in the 19th century. Many devotees will climb the 152 steps leading to the kramats to pray for wealth, good marriage, good health and harmony. The shrines are also popular with childless couples who would pray for children. Despite misconceptions, they do not pray to the kramats.
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Wikipedia