Once Prosperous, This is the History of the Sriwijaya Kingdom from the Beginning

The Sriwijaya Kingdom is believed to be located in the eastern coastal area of Sumatra. This kingdom is even estimated to be situated in Palembang. However, some people also argue that the Sriwijaya Kingdom is located in Jambi or outside Indonesia. Knowing this condition, here is the history of the Sriwijaya Kingdom that you should know.

The Origins of the Sriwijaya Kingdom to Its Glory

The Sriwijaya Kingdom, whose exact layout is still unclear, is the largest maritime kingdom in Indonesia. This kingdom, which consists of small kingdoms on the eastern coast of Sumatra, paid more attention to power at sea compared to the government center on land. This kingdom began to establish itself in the 7th century AD by Dapunta Hyang Sri Jayanasa.

The establishment of this kingdom began with the holy journey or siddhayatra of Dapunta Hyang Sri Jayanasa using a boat. Dapunta Hyang even brought 20,000 troops to build the kingdom in South Sumatra and Jambi. 

Dapunta Hyang, also known as Sri Jayanasa, became the first king of Sriwijaya from 671 AD to 728 AD. Interestingly, the historical story of the Sriwijaya Kingdom managed to achieve glory and even expand its power to the Malay Peninsula. 

This kingdom also successfully controlled important maritime areas such as the Sunda Strait and the Malacca Strait. The kingdom also established cooperation with merchants from China, Cambodia, Arabia, India, and even Africa.

The Early Kingdoms of The Indonesian Archipelago and The Malay Peninsula also mention that the Sriwijaya Kingdom successfully conquered several areas of power such as Cambodia, the Malay Peninsula, Southern Thailand, Sumatra, West Java, and Central Java. 

The undeniable strength of the fleet resulted in a very vast area of power. The glory of the Sriwijaya Kingdom even made this place the center of Mahayana Buddhism in Southeast Asia. 

This place was even inhabited by thousands of students and religious priests. Interestingly, this place was also frequently visited by foreign students to learn the Sanskrit language. 

Similarly, the maritime kingdom that underpinned Sriwijaya presented a history of the Sriwijaya Kingdom that developed in trade. The location of the kingdom, situated on the banks of the Musi River, significantly changed the livelihoods of the people from farming to trading. 

Moreover, this place was traversed by international trade routes, making it a promising opportunity.

The glory of this kingdom even developed rapidly until the 9th century. The famous King Balaputradewa, who ruled this kingdom, was able to boost the economy even to the outer islands of Indonesia. 

This king also successfully established close relations with the Bengal Kingdom. In fact, the Sriwijaya Kingdom had successfully created advanced ships for sailing.

Read also: Exploring the History of the Aceh Kingdom in the Past

The Decline of the Sriwijaya Kingdom

The very famous Sriwijaya Kingdom, which paid more attention to power at sea, became the main factor in the decline of this kingdom. Generally, the history of the Sriwijaya Kingdom during the reign of King Balaputradewa the 10th, who had reached the peak of glory, also experienced a process of decline. At that time, the Sriwijaya Kingdom even began to lose its power in Java.

The loss of these areas of power was suspected to be due to the weakening condition of the Sriwijaya naval forces. In fact, this kingdom was successfully attacked by the Medang Kingdom from Java in the 990s. 

The attack that occurred from 998 to 992 was led by Sri Sudamani Warmadewa. However, the Sriwijaya Kingdom managed to repel its enemies at that time.

Then, the Sriwijaya Kingdom also faced an attack from the Chola Kingdom from South India in the 11th century. This kingdom, which wanted to seize the trade routes in the Malacca Strait area, sent troops led by King Rajendra Chola I in 1017 and 1025. 

The Chola Kingdom even managed to occupy several areas of Sriwijaya's power at that time. The Chola Kingdom, which successfully seized several areas of power, also influenced the power of the new king. 

As a result, the kingdom had to submit to the Chola kingdom, further diminishing Sriwijaya's strength. The Pamalayu expedition carried out by Kartanegara in 1275 also caused the Malay power to break away from the Sriwijaya Kingdom. 

In addition, changes in environmental conditions in this region gradually led to its decline. The high rainfall conditions in Sumatra even exceeded the evaporation capacity. 

This caused excessive water infiltration and reduced the fertility of the land in this region. The history of the Sriwijaya Kingdom, which increasingly experienced decline, was even worsened by the arrival of Islam in Aceh. 

The Samudera Pasai Kingdom, which successfully established a trading center in the 13th century, caused the Sriwijaya Kingdom to lose even more of its territories. This kingdom even only left areas in Palembang and was destroyed by Majapahit in 1377.

This condition ultimately left only a few remnants that can be recognized to this day. There are inscriptions from the Sriwijaya Kingdom, the Kedukan Bukit inscription, the Talang Tuo inscription, the Telaga Batu inscription, the Kota Kapur inscription, the Karang Berahi inscription, the Tanjore inscription, the Sri Lanka inscription, and several Chinese reports regarding the Sriwijaya Kingdom.

The Sriwijaya Kingdom experienced glory when it successfully conquered international trade routes and expanded its area of power. 

Unfortunately, this kingdom gradually declined due to changes in environmental conditions and was exacerbated by wars. The Sriwijaya Kingdom, which once had a very great name, began to slowly disappear after the emergence of several new kingdoms.

Read also: Understanding the History of the Samudra Pasai Kingdom, the First Islamic Kingdom