My Thoughts on the Srivijaya Empire

It was during one of my travels in Bali, Indonesia where a friend of mine mentioned that since I love yoga, I might want to visit some of the ruins left by a once-mighty empire. That led to an interesting conversation about the ancient Srivijaya Empire.  

My friend, whom we’ll call Matty, is a historian who taught at a local school in Java, Indonesia. Since he recognized my love for yoga and Bali, Indonesia, he began talking to me about this once Southeast Asian superpower that was the center of Buddhism hundreds of years ago. 

The Empire of Prosperity and Victory 

As my friend Matty told me, the words “Srivijaya” are Sanskrit terms for “prosperity” and “victory”. A vast empire of nearby islands, the Srivijaya empire is now part of modern-day Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. During its golden days, however, its territory stretched as far as the southern part of the Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia. In fact, when I visited parts of the Borobudur in Central Java, Indonesia, there were several statues and art that depicted life during the Srivijaya Empire. 

It is said that it was a coalition of small island kingdoms who decided that they were better off being united as one kingdom against the more powerful Chinese invaders from the north and the many pirates that harassed their merchant ships. The empire would prove to be strong and prosperous, as its many ships and explorers made trading and exploration in the Southeast Asian regions possible. 

In my opinion, however, its greatest achievement is being the center of Buddhist worship at its time. The Srivijaya Empire also has access to the Silk Road, thus making the empire even richer. Until today, there are still many Buddha statues left in Indonesia that were built during its glory days. The traditional outfit worn by the Indonesian dancers that you see on postcards and videos is also some of the many things left by this Southeast Asian superpower.  

Not to mention the many golden Buddha statues that are now housed in some of the museums in Indonesia and Malaysia.  

In fact, these same statues were plundered by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War 2. Many other statues and relics were lost because of the war. While I was listening in on those stories, my heart was heavy with sorrow.  

Indeed, war does nothing but bring death and destruction. 

Of course, the good times do not remain forever. The Srivijaya Empire started to decline when it can no longer handle foreign pirates and raids coming from the Chola Kingdom, a neighboring island located in Southern India. This pirate kingdom lived only on piracy, so you can just imagine the level of ferocity the Srivijaya’s had to endure every time the Chola pirates came to ransack and loot their villages. The Srivijaya empire weakened to a point where constant internal strife and pressure from both Malayan and Javanese kings crumbled the state. 

Finally, the Sultanate of Malacca succeeded the Srivijaya Empire in 1377. 

The Golden Empire on the Sea 

What fascinated me about Srivijaya was that it wasn’t just any empire established on land; it was a maritime empire that only stretched forth beyond the coastal islands of Southeast Asia. What held the empire together for so long were its prosperous trading missions and its state religion, which was Vajrayana Buddhism. 

Scholars are completely baffled as to how this empire by the sea managed to worship a religion that was founded hundreds of years ago by Arabian and Chinese scholars. Based on research and historical findings done on the many temples left behind in Indonesia and Malaysia, the religion was probably spread around by the merchants and scholars who traveled together with the Srivijaya mariners. 

It is truly amazing what humans can do. And even until now, we are still aiming to become better in what we do.  

After listening to my friend’s educational sermon, I realized just how small my knowledge is regarding the history of this world. While I do love Bali, I was only just skimming a small part of this wonderful side of Asia. I have yet to travel to the other regions of this vast continent. I want to do more travels in countries where yoga came from. I also want to explore the other parts of Southeast Asia. Maybe Cambodia, Vietnam, or even some parts of the Philippines, who knows? 

But one thing is sure; I will keep traveling in this remote part of the world where once a mighty empire stood, with its foundations stretching under the sea. – Gale Tobin 

Originally published at https://galetobin.com on October 29, 2021.