A Brief History of Srivijaya Kingdom and Its Heritage

Surely you are familiar with the famous Srivijaya Kingdom in South Sumatra, right? Yes, I’m very sure you all have memorized and are very familiar with this very famous kingdom.

How come? This famous kingdom is a kingdom with the strongest influence of Buddhism in Indonesia. As we know, there are six official religions in Indonesia, such as Buddhism.

This kingdom also encouraged history Buddhism Bali from a long time ago. Many of his followers during his heyday and much construction has also been done by the Kingdom of Srivijaya in various periods of leadership of its kings. So, let’s get to know Srivijaya Kingdom heritage more!

The Origin of the Srivijaya Kingdom

If you trace back history, then you will find historical facts that the Kingdom of Srivijaya is one of the major kingdoms in Indonesia which is known to have strength in the maritime field.

The Srivijaya kingdom had once stood in the South Sumatra region and had contributed much influence in the archipelago with various territorial powers, which stretched from Cambodia, South Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, West Java and possibly Central Java.

Srivijaya has its own meaning according to language. In Sanskrit, sri means “glowing” or “glorious”. Meanwhile, wijaya means “victory” or “glory”. Therefore, when combined, Srivijaya has the meaning of “glorious victory”.

Well, initially the evidence of the existence of the Srivijaya Kingdom came from the 7th century, from a Chinese priest who came from the Tang Dynasty, namely I Tsing. Here, I Tsing writes that he once visited the Kingdom of Srivijaya in 671 AD Wow, really interesting is not it?

When you examine the Kedukan Bukit Inscription, the Sriwijaya Kingdom was first established around Palembang, on the banks of the Musi River, a very large river in Indonesia.

In this inscription, it is stated that Dapunta Hyang came from Minanga Tamwan. Unfortunately, the accurate location of Minaga Tamwan has always generated debate. There is no most correct and certain theory regarding the accuracy of these locations.

The first time, the theory of Palembang as a place where Srivijaya first started was proposed by Coedes and supported by Pierre-Yves Manguin. Apparently not only Palembang, several other places such as Muaro Jambi (Batanghari River, Jambi) and Muara Takus (the meeting of the Right and Left Kampar Rivers, Riau) are also thought to be the capital of Sriwijaya. Wow, cool!

In its heyday, the Kingdom of Srivijaya was once the center of the trading system and was a great maritime country. Unfortunately, the Srivijaya Kingdom did not undertake efforts to expand power outside the Southeast Asian region. Hm, what a shame!

Instead of enlarging his power in the Southeast Asian region, the Kingdom of Srivijaya at that time decided to contribute to the Madagascar region, which was located as far as 3,300 miles to the west.

Regarding the central government, many experts who are still debating areas that are focused on being the center of the government of the Kingdom of Srivijaya.

There is also the opinion that the possibility of this kingdom used to move the center of his administration with the record that the area that became the capital still governed directly by the authorities, while the supporting regions were ruled by local authorities.

Unfortunately, after the heyday of course a kingdom will experience a setback. The decline of the Srivijaya Kingdom began to be felt because of several wars. An example is the war in 1025 carried out by Rajendra Chola I of Coromandel. Then, in 1183 Srivijaya’s power was under the control of the Dharmasraya kingdom. Sadly, since Srivijaya collapsed, this kingdom was forgotten and its existence was only re-discovered through a 1918 publication by the French historian George Cœdès of the École française d’Extrême-Orient.

Historical Heritage

Telaga Batu Inscription

Telaga Batu Inscription when it was found was in the Telaga Biru pond area, Palembang city. This inscription was discovered in 1935. Well, this inscription contains the bad curses for people who commit crimes in the Kingdom of Srivijaya. Wow, is it scary?

Now, the inscription is stored neatly in the Jakarta National Museum. Telaga Batu inscription has a strong structure, carved in andesite stone with a height of 118 cm and width of 148 cm.

Muara Takus Temple

Next is the temple from the Kingdom of Srivijaya. Muara Takus Temple is one of the temples left by the Kingdom of Srivijaya. Want to see the splendor and beauty? You can directly visit the Muara Takus Temple in District XIII Koto, Kampar Regency, Riau. This is one of the most beautiful temples in Indonesia.

Muara Takus Temple turned out to be the only Buddhist style temple in Riau, you know. Buddhism in Indonesia can be spreaded effectively by Srivijaya Kingdom’s effort. Wow, how cool!

Muara Takus Temple has several buildings consisting of the eldest temple, the youngest temple, Mahligai stupa, and Palangka. Cool again, this temple has been named as one of the world heritage since 2009 by UNESCO.

Actually, not only Muara Takus Temple, you can also enjoy the beautiful view of the Buddhist temple in many regions in Indonesia, such as this list of Buddhist temple in Bali Indonesia.

So, it’s all about Srivijaya Kingdom heritage. As we may know before, saving our historical heritage is a must. Let’s spread goodness!