Strait of Malacca

Before Melaka · House · 10 min read

What Was Srivijaya and Why Did Palembang Matter?

From the seventh to the eleventh century, how a maritime power relying on taxes rose and fell

Behind the stones erected by the river in Palembang lies a regime. Srivijaya, also written as Sanfoqi in Chinese historical records, was the power that gripped the Strait of Malacca from the seventh to the eleventh century. It didn't rely on military conquest for expansion — it relied on collecting taxes: passing merchant ships had to traverse its waters, and it earned its keep. In 1025, the Chola dynasty of southern India sent a fleet on an expedition; the king was captured, and the capital was sacked. But three years later, Srivijaya had already resumed tribute to China. What this expedition left behind, and what it didn't — this is a story about the difference between "punishment" and "conquest."