11 Relics of the Sriwijaya Kingdom as Historical Evidence
Legacy of the Srivijaya Kingdom The Indonesian nation was built from the existence of ancient kingdoms.
One of the great kingdoms that became part of the history of Indonesia was the Sriwijaya kingdom. The Sriwijaya Kingdom was a Hindu-Buddhist-style maritime kingdom centered in Palembang, South Sumatra.
Sriwijaya was founded around 683 AD and lasted until 1025 AD. Srivijaya’s territory reached Sumatra, Java, Thailand, Cambodia and the Malay Peninsula.
The Srivijaya Kingdom was a very influential kingdom with a very wide area of power. Sriwijaya is also known for the strength of a strong maritime or marine fleet, even being a port center for trade.
The 9th-10th century was the heyday of Srivijaya. At that time, Sriwijaya succeeded in controlling Southeast Asian trade as well as controlling the Sunda Strait and the Malacca Strait as strategic trade routes.
The Srivijaya Empire then collapsed around 1025 AD during an attack from Rajendra Chola I of Coromandel.
After its collapse, the Sriwijaya kingdom is still remembered as a kingdom that had a great and positive influence on the history of the archipelago.
The name Sriwijaya became synonymous with the city of Palembang in South Sumatra as the center of government of the Sriwijaya Kingdom at that time.
There are also many relics of the Sriwijaya Kingdom that are still preserved to this day. These relics provide evidence of its success and can be traces of history.
11 Legacy of the Srivijaya Kingdom
1. Lime City Inscription
The Kota Kapur inscription was found on the western part of Bangka Island. This inscription was written in Old Malay using the Pallawa script.
The contents of the inscription found by JK Van Der Meulen in 1892 tells of a curse for people who dare to violate the orders or orders of the King of Sriwijaya.
Until 2012, the Kota Limestone inscription was still in the Rijksmuseum which is the Royal Museum of Amsterdam. The inscription is there on loan by the Indonesian National Museum.
2. Ligor Inscription
As a relic of the Srivijaya Kingdom which is proof of its power, the Ligor Inscription was found in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Southern Thailand.
This inscription has two sides called side A and side B. Side A is also called the Viang Sa manuscript, tells of King Srivijaya as king of all kings in the world who founded Trisamaya Caitya for Kajara.
Side B is thought to have been written by the king of the Sailendra dynasty, which describes the awarding of the title Visnu Sesawarimadawimathana to Sri Maharaja.
3. Passion Inscription
Discovered by Controller LM Berhout in 1904, this Passionate Inscription also describes a curse for those who commit crimes and are disloyal to the King of Sriwijaya.
The contents of this inscription are more precisely about prayers to gods to punish bad people. Although not equipped with the year, the contents of this inscription can be identified through the Pallawa script and the Old Malay language it uses.
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This inscription is also known as Karang Berahi because it was found in Karang Berahi village, Pamenang sub-district, Merangin, Jambi.
4. Talang Tuwo Inscription
The Talang Tuwo inscription is a relic of the Sriwijaya Kingdom which was found by a Palembang resident named Louis Constant Westenenk at the foot of Seguntang Hill on the northern edge of the Musi River.
This inscription contains a dedication prayer that tells about the Buddhist school of the Srivijaya era, which at that time was a Mahayana school.
This is evidenced by the use of the word typical of Mahayana Buddhism on this 50 cm x 80 cm inscription.
5. Kedukan Bukit Inscription
Furthermore, there is the Kedukan Bukit Inscription which was discovered by M. Batenburg on November 29, 1920. The 45 cm x 80 cm inscription uses Old Malay and Pallawa script.
The contents are a story about a Sriwijaya Kingdom envoy named Dapunta Hyang who held Sidhayarta or a sacred journey using a boat.
From the inscription, information was obtained that Dapunta Hyang who departed from Minanga was able to conquer the area where the inscription was found, namely the Musi River, South Sumatra.
6. The Stone Lake Inscription
The inscription from the Sriwijaya Kingdom was found in the Telaga Biru pond, 3 Ilir Village, Ilir Timur II District, Palembang City in 1935.
In the same place, the Telaga Batu 2 Inscription was also found which tells about the existence of a monastery. This inscription is carved in andesite stone with a height of 118 cm and a width of 148 cm.
There are decorations of 7 cobra heads at the top of the inscription and there is a shower where the washing water flows in the middle.
7. Palas Pasemah Inscription
The Palas Pasemah inscription was found on the outskirts of the swamp in Palas Pasemah Village, South Lampung, Lampung. Written using Old Malay Pallawa script, this inscription consists of 13 lines of writing.
Judging from the script, this inscription is estimated to be from the 7th century. The contents of this inscription are still the same, namely about a curse on people who do not want to submit to the Sriwijaya Kingdom government.
8. Muara Takus Temple
Muara Takus Temple is not the only temple that is a relic of Srivijaya. This temple is located in District XIII Koto, Kampar Regency, Riau.
This Buddhist-style temple is surrounded by white stone walls 74 x 74 meters with a height of approximately 80 cm.
Muara Takus Temple is equipped with several buildings, namely the eldest temple, the youngest temple, the mahligai stupa, and the palangka. Since 2009, this temple has been named one of the world heritages by UNESCO.
9. Muaro Jambi Temple
Another famous relic of the Sriwijaya Kingdom is the Muaro Jambi Temple. This temple is located in Maro Sebo District, Muaro Jambi Regency, right on the banks of the Batang Hari river. Muaro Jambi was built in the 11th century.
With an area of 3981 hectares, this temple complex is said to be the largest in Asia.
In the complex, there are 9 temples that have just undergone a restoration process, namely Gedong Satu, Kotomahligai, Twin Batu, Gedong Dua, Kembang Batu, Tinggi, Gumpung, Telago Rajo, Astano Temple and also Kedaton.
10. Bahal Temple
Bahal Temple, Portibi Temple or Biaro Bahal Temple is located in Bahal Village, Padang Bolak District, South Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra.
This Buddhist temple was also built in the 11th century with red stone material at the bottom of the temple.
There is a decoration in the form of a board surrounded by carvings of a yaksa with the head of an animal dancing at the foot of the temple.
The temple complex which consists of several temples with the title Bahal I temple, Bahal II temple and so on is used as a historical tourist attraction.
11. Sriwijaya Gate
In addition to candid and inscriptions, relics of the Sriwijaya Kingdom are also in the form of a gate. Sriwijaya Gate is located in Rimba Hamlet, Central Dempo District, Pagar Alam City, South Sumatra.
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There are 9 gates in this site but there are still 7 found. This site had suffered severe damage due to erosion and earthquake natural disasters.
The ruins form an elongated pentagon rock with an oval hollow mark inward on one side of the rock.
The objects and buildings relic of the Sriwijaya Kingdom above provide evidence that the kingdom once reigned in the archipelago.
Until now, these relics are still stored in museums and maintained as cultural heritage and tourist objects that must be preserved.
