The Kingdom of Srivijaya

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Srivijaya was a maritime kingdom of Sumatra that existed from circa 500 CE until the late 1300's

The Kingdom of Srivijaya

On the Indonesian island of Sumatra, directly to the west of the city of Palembang, are ruins and artifacts that appear to date back to the Kingdom of Srivijaya. Indications are strong that the Palembang region of south Sumatra formed the heartland of the kingdom.
Srivijaya (Sri Vijaya) as a kingdom developed around 500 CE, although it possibly had roots going back as far as 200 CE. In Chinese contemporary writings, the kingdom is referred to as Sribhoja. "Jaya" as a root means "excellence". Srivijaya influence waned in the 11th century. Sumatra was then subject to conquests from Javanese kingdoms: the Singhasari and then the Majapahit. The last vestiges of Srivijaya as a national entity were gone by 1400. Through much of its history, the kingdom was a group of coastal and maritime entities, under the control of the seat at Palembang, similar to Phoenicia in its heyday.
Religion of the kingdom was initially Indic, then Hindu, then, circa 425, Buddhism arrived. By the late 13th century, Islam became the domininant religion.
Most records of its history are foreign, although from the period 682-686 CE, internal records in Old Malay have been recovered. These stone inscriptions are the oldest extant instances of Malay writing. This was a tulmultuous time; many of those writings concerned loyalty, and loyalty oaths, and campaigns against other kingdoms.
The teachings of the Tantric school of Mahayana Buddhism heavily influenced governance at that time. From language used in the inscriptions, archaeologists conclude that this religion fit in well with the previous indigenous spiritual/magical ways. This school of Buddhism reached India and Sumatra at about the same time (600's), which also indicates a vibrant and active trade route. Indeed, the earliest influences on language and culture were from India.
One of the surviving texts indicates that the ruler considered himself a bodhisattva, on the path to becoming Buddha -- the earliest recorded instance in this part of the world that temporal rulers were also responsible as religious rulers.

Srivijaya controlled the Strait of Malacca, and expanded into the mainland of Indochina, where the city of Chaiya (Surat Thani province in Southern Thailand) was probably at the very least a regional capital. The image here is of a pagoda found in Chaiya, done in Srivijaya style. The kingdom at its greatest also covered Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and western Borneo. Circa 600 CE, the Chinese record two kingdoms on Sumatra (Srivijaya and Melayu), and three on Java. In 683, Srivijaya conquered Melayu, and during this time, the kingdom began its campaign against the kingdoms of Java, eventually conquering these, too.
Circa 700, it had also conquered Kedah, on the Malay peninsula.
Most of the information we have about the early days of Srivijaya is due to the writings of Yì Jìng (aka I-Ching, 635 - 713). He was a Buddhist monk of the Tang Dynasty who travelled to various countries collecting Buddhist texts written in Sanskrit. In 711, he visited Palembang, and was assisted by the ruler of Srivijaya. From the 7th century on, Srivijaya was an important trading partner with China. China sent ambassadors dating back as far as the 400's. While specific information remains scant, Arabs and Persians knew about the Srivijaya trading empire, and there are even indications that Greeks and Romans were aware of secondhand or tertiary reports.
In 990, Mataram, located in eastern Java and ruled by King Dharmavamsa , tried to take over Srivijaya, but failed. In 992, King Chulamanivarmadeva of Srivijaya asked for Chinese protection from Mataram. In 1006, Srivijaya attacked and captured Mataram; razing its palace, and killing its king and many others, although a 15 year old boy, Airlangga, managed to flee.
In 1017, Rajendra Chola, king of Coromandel in India, attacked Srivijaya, but failed to take it over. Circa 1019, the heir to Mataram, Airlangga, created a new kingdom in eastern Java, Kahuripan, and also made peace with Srivijaya. He was noted for religious tolerance, bringing both Hindu and Buddhist together. Airlangga spent much of his youth as an ascetic.
By 1025, Rajendra Chola was strong enough to capture the Malay peninsula from Srivijaya, and hold it for twenty years. He continued to press against the island of Sumatra. During this time, Kahuripan saw more and more trade, as it became more unsafe due to conflict near Sumatra.
Airlangga married the daughter of Sangrama Vijayottungavarman, King of Srivijaya, in 1030. Evidently a fascinating man, Airlangga finally divided Kahuripan into two kingdoms in 1045, for his two sons, and abdicated to return to the life of an ascetic, living four more years. No word about his wife.
In 1068, the king of Coromandel, conquered Kedah from Srivijaya. More Chola raids occurred on Sumatra. Jambi became independent by circa 1225. By about 1280, the Thai kingdom of Sukhotai began to take the parts of the Malay peninsula that had belonged to Srivijaya. In 1290, King Kertanegara of the Javanese Singhasari took control of the Melayu kingdom on Sumatra around Jambi, and also unified Java under his leadership.
In 1292, Java and Sumatra were visited by that intrepid traveller, Marco Polo.
In the 1300's, Majapahit exerted a strong influence on the Palembang region of Sumatra, but did not fully control it. In 1377, Majapahit sent its navy against Palembang, a remnant of Srivijaya. The King of Palembang sent a courier to China, offering his kingdom to the emperor in exchange for protection. The Emperor of China accepted the offer, and sent officials in return, but by the time the officials got to Palembang, it had already been conquered, and they were executed.