Everything about Srivijaya totally explained
Srivijaya, Sriwijaya, was an ancient
Malay kingdom on the island of
Sumatra which influenced much of the
Malay Archipelago.The earliest solid proof of its existence dates from the 7th century; a Chinese monk,
I-Tsing, wrote that he visited Srivijaya in 671 for 6 months. The first inscription in which the name Srivijaya appears also dates from the 7th century, namely the
Kedukan Bukit Inscription around Palembang in Sumatra, dated 683. The kingdom ceased to exist between 1200 and 1300 due to various factors, including the expansion of
Majapahit.
After Srivijaya fell, it was largely forgotten and so historians had never considered that a large united kingdom could have been present in Southeast Asia. The existence of Srivijaya was only formally suspected in 1918 when French historian
George Coedès of the
École française d'Extrême-Orient postulated the existence of the empire. Coedès noted that the Chinese references to "Sanfoqi", previously read as "Sribhoja", and the inscriptions in
Old Malay refer to the same empire.
Srivijaya became a symbol of early Sumatran greatness, and a great empire to balance Java's
Majapahit in the east. In the twentieth century, both empires were referred to by nationalist intellectuals to argue for an Indonesian identity within and Indonesian state prior to the
Dutch colonial state. In Sanskrit and Pali, it was referred to as Yavadesh and Javadeh respectively.
Formation and growth
Little physical evidence of Srivijaya remains. According to the
Kedukan Bukit Inscription, the empire of Srivijaya was founded by Dapunta Hyang Çri Yacanaca (Dapunta Hyang Sri Jayanasa). He led 20,000 troops (mainly land troopers and a few hundred ships) from Minanga Tamwan to
Palembang,
Jambi, and
Bengkulu.
The empire was a coastal trading centre and was a
thalassocracy. As such, it didn't extend its influence far beyond the coastal areas of the islands of
Southeast Asia, with the exception of contributing to the population of
Madagascar 3,300 miles to the west. Around the year 500, Srivijayan roots began to develop around present-day
Palembang,
Sumatra, in modern
Indonesia. The empire was organised in three main zones — the estuarine capital region centred on Palembang, the
Musi River basin which served as hinterland, and rival estuarine areas capable of forming rival power centres. The areas upstream of the Musi river were rich in various commodities valuable to Chinese traders. The capital was administered directly by the ruler while the hinterland remained under its own local
datus or
chiefs, who were organized into a network of
allegiance to the Srivijaya
maharaja or king. Force was the dominant element in the empire's relations with rival river systems such as the
Batang Hari, which centred in Jambi. The ruling
lineage intermarried with the
Sailendras of
Central Java.
Under the leadership of
Jayanasa, the
kingdom of Malayu became the first kingdom to be integrated into the Srivijayan Empire. This possibly occurred in the 680s. Malayu, also known as
Jambi, was rich in gold and was held in high esteem. Srivijaya recognized that the submission of Malayu to them would increase their own prestige.
Chinese records dated in the late 7th century mention two Sumatran kingdoms as well as three other kingdoms on Java being part of Srivijaya. By the end of the 8th century, many Javanese kingdoms, such as
Tarumanagara and
Holing, were within the Srivijayan sphere of influence. It has also been recorded that a Buddhist family related to Srivijaya dominated central Java at that time. The family was probably the Sailendras. According to the
Kota Kapur Inscription, the empire conquered Southern Sumatra as far as
Lampung. The empire thus grew to control the trade on the
Strait of Malacca, the
South China Sea and
Karimata Strait.
During the same century, Langkasuka on the Malay Peninsula became part of Srivijaya. Soon after this, Pan Pan and Trambralinga, which were located north of Langkasuka, came under Srivijayan influence. These kingdoms on the peninsula were major trading nations that transported goods across the peninsula's isthmus.
With the expansion to Java as well as the Malay Peninsula, Srivijaya controlled two major trade
choke points in Southeast Asia. Some Srivijayan temple ruins are observable in
Thailand,
Cambodia and on the Malay Peninsula.
At some point in the 7th century, Cham ports in eastern Indochina started to attract traders. This diverted the flow of trade from Srivijaya. In an effort to divert the flow, the Srivijayan king or
maharaja,
Dharmasetu, launched various raids against the coastal cities of Indochina. The city of
Indrapura by the
Mekong River was temporarily controlled from Palembang in the early 8th century.
After Dharmasetu,
Samaratungga became the next Maharaja of Srivijaya. He reigned as ruler from 792 to 835. Unlike the expansionist Dharmasetu, Samaratuga didn't indulge in military expansion but preferred to strengthen the Srivijayan hold of Java. He personally oversaw the construction of
Borobudur; the temple was completed in 825, during his reign.
By the twelfth century, the kingdom included parts of
Sumatra,
Ceylon, the
Malay Peninsula, Western
Java,
Sulawesi, the
Moluccas,
Borneo and the
Philippines, most notably the
Sulu Archipelago and the
Visayas islands (and indeed the latter island group, as well as its population, is named after the empire).
Srivijaya remained a formidable sea power until the thirteenth century. In 1079 in particular, an ambassador from Jambi and Palembang each visited China. Jambi sent two more ambassadors to China in 1082 and 1088.
According to a Chinese source in the book of
Chu-fan-chi written around 1200, Chou-Ju-Kua describe that in
Southeast Asia archipelago there was two most powerful and richest kingdoms; Srivijaya and
Java (
Kediri). In Java he founds that the people adhere two kinds of religions;
buddhism and the religions of
brahmins (
hinduism), while the people of Srivijaya adhere
buddhism. The people of Java are brave and short tempered, dare to put a fight. Their favourite pastimes was cockfighting and pigfighting. The curency was made from the mixture of
copper,
silver, and
tin.
The book of
Chu-fan-chi mentioned that Java was ruled by a
maharaja, that rules several colonies: Pai-hua-yuan (Pacitan), Ma-tung (Medang), Ta-pen (Tumapel), Hi-ning (Dieng), Jung-ya-lu (Hujung Galuh), Tung-ki (Jenggi, west
Papua), Ta-kang (
Sumba), Huang-ma-chu (Southwest Papua), Ma-li (
Bali), Kulun (Gurun, identified as Gorong or Sorong in Papua or an island in Nusa Tenggara), Tan-jung-wu-lo (Tanjungpura in Borneo), Ti-wu (Timor), Pingya-i (Banggai in Sulawesi), and Wu-nu-ku (
Maluku).
About Srivijaya, Chou-Ju-Kua reported that Kien-pi (Kampe, in northern Sumatra) with armed forced rebellion has liberated themselves from Srivijaya, thus has coronated their own king. The same fate goes to some Srivijaya's colonies at
Malay Peninsula that liberated themselves from Srivijaya domination. However Srivijaya still the mightiest and wealthiest state in western part of archipelago. Srivijaya's colony are: Pong-fong (
Pahang), Tong-ya-nong (
Trengganu), Ling-ya-ssi-kia (
Langkasuka), Kilan-tan (
Kelantan), Fo-lo-an (?), Ji-lo-t'ing (Jelutong), Ts'ien-mai (?), Pa-t'a (Batak), Tan-ma-ling (Tambralingga, Ligor), Kia-lo-hi (Grahi, northern part of Malay peninsula), Pa-lin-fong (
Palembang), Sin-t'o (
Sunda), Lan-wu-li (Lamuri at
Aceh), and Si-lan (Sailan?) . According to this source in early 13th century Srivijaya still ruled Sumatra, Malay peninsula, and western Java (
Sunda). About
Sunda, the book describe it further that the port of Sunda (
Sunda Kelapa) is really good and strategic,
pepper from Sunda is among the best quality. People work on agriculture and their house are build on wooden piles (rumah panggung). However the country was invested by robbers and thieves. In sum, this Chinese source from early 13th century suggested that the
Indonesian archipelago was ruled by two great kingdoms, western part was under Srivijaya's rule, while eastern part was under
Kediri domination.
In
1288,
Singhasari, the successor of
Kediri in Java, conquered Palembang, Jambi as well as much of Srivijaya during the
Pamalayu expedition.
In the year 1293,
Majapahit ruled much of Sumatra as the successor of Singhasari. Prince
Adityawarman was given responsibilities over
Sumatra in
1347 by
Hayam Wuruk, the fourth king of
Majapahit. The rebellion in 1377 was squashed by
Majapahit but it left the area of southern
Sumatra in chaos and desolation.
In the following years, sedimentation on the Musi river estuary cut the kingdom's capital off from direct sea access. The strategic disadvantage crippled the trade in the Kingdom's capital. As the decline continued,
Islam made its way to the
Aceh region of Sumatra, spreading through contacts with
Arab and
Indian traders. By the late 13th century, the kingdom of
Pasai in northern Sumatra converted to Islam. At the same time, Srivijaya was briefly a
tributary state of the Khmer empire and later the
Sukhothai kingdom. The last inscription, on which a crown prince,
Ananggavarman, son of
Adityawarman, is mentioned, dates from 1374.
By
1402 Parameswara (the great-great-grandson of
Raden Wijaya, the first king of
Majapahit), the last prince of Srivijaya founded the
Sultanate of Malacca on the Malay peninsula.
Commerce
In the world of commerce, Srivijaya rapidly rose to be a far-flung empire controlling the two passages between India and China, namely the
Sunda Strait from Palembang and the Malacca straits from Kedah. Arab accounts state that the empire of the maharaja was so vast that in two years the swiftest vessel couldn't travel round all its islands, which produced camphor, aloes, cloves, sandal-wood, nutmegs, cardamom and crubebs, ivory, gold and tin, making the maharaja as rich as any king in the Indies.
List of Rulers
- Dapunta Hyang Çri Yacanaca (Kedukan Bukit Inscription, 683 and Talang Tuo Inscription, 684)
- Cri Indrawarman (Chinese story, 724)
- Rudrawikrama (Chinese story, 728)
- Wishnu (Ligor Inscription, 775)
- Maharaja (Arabian story, 851)
- Balaputradewa (Nalanda Inscription, 860)
- Cri Udayadityawarman (Chinese story, 960)
- Cri Udayaditya (Chinese story, 962)
- Cri Cudamaniwarmadewa (Leiden Inscription, 1044)
- Maraviyayatunggawarman (Leiden Inscription, 1044)
- Cri Sanggaramawijayatunggawarman (Chola Inscription, 1044)
Further Information
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