650 - 1377 AD
Indonesia has had a fractious and confusing history in which faiths seem to change as quickly as dynasties and fortunes wax and wane with the moons as much as any geopolitical event. No Indonesian Empire exemplifies this game of spiritual and political chaos more than Srivijaya. The great empire, like many of the greatest, has rather humble origins as a tiny city state in southern Sumatra. Established some time in the late 6th century, the city was born into a period of strong Hindu influence on the archipelago. Huge
Hindu temple complexes, perhaps the largest on earth at the time, were constructed across the many islands of Indonesia; meanwhile traders and sailors from the subcontinent descended in huge numbers, bringing with them both great wealth and their ancient customs. However, India, like Indonesia, was a place of many faiths and another great faith was making its mark on the region.
Srivijaya was staunchly Buddhist. Under her patronage the religion would expand throughout Indonesia and some of the most fantastic works of Buddhist art and architecture date from this period; perhaps most famously, the temple of
Borobodur. Despite their devotion, the Srivijayans were far more devoted to another great power which may seem more relateable today: cash. The entire Empire of Srivijaya was built upon a seemingly endless amount of cargo ships which dashed between the various islands of Nusantara bringing fabulous wealth back to the capital. In a way no predecessor had been able to, the Srivijayans were able to contact all corners of the far flung islands of Western Indonesia from Borneo to the Malay peninsula, and even exercising a healthy degree of control in southern Indochina, dominating southern Thailand and controlling the vast majority of trade even there for quite some time - Indeed, the
Khmer Empire was briefly tributary to the Srivijayans, though of course at the time the Khmer were yet to reach their later strength. Majaphit, Singhasari, Melayu - one by one dozens of the regional powers in Indonesia fell to Srivijaya until her power was unchallenged, allowing her to send settlers and ships and far west as
Madagascar (To this day, Madagascan is heavily based on the Austronesian languages spoken across Indonesia.) and as far east as the Philippines.
Incredible traders, the unifiers of a continent and pious Buddhists who built some of the greatest architectural marvels of their age. Truly the legacy of Srivijaya is as great as their opulence - like the empires that predated and succeeded them, Srivijaya played an important role in the development of the idea of a united Indonesia - of one people across a thousand islands destined to rule the waves together (or at the very least under the iron thumb of one particularly gifted island.) an idea which has stood the test of time for sure.