In 671 CE, the Chinese Buddhist monk Yijing sailed from China toward India and stopped in Srivijaya, where he studied Sanskrit for months. His travel account shows that Srivijaya was already important for ships using the sea route between China and India. This is early evidence of Srivijaya’s role in organizing maritime travel through the Malacca region.
The Telaga Batu inscription, associated with Srivijaya’s early rulers, lists officials and includes an oath and curse against disloyalty. It suggests a developing administrative structure needed to manage ports, labor, and revenues. Such controls supported Srivijaya’s ability to tax or regulate passing ships in the Strait of Malacca region.
The Kedukan Bukit inscription (Old Malay, in Pallava script) records a royal journey and military expedition led by Dapunta Hyang. It is among the earliest dated local texts linked to Srivijaya and is often used to mark Srivijaya’s early state formation around Palembang. The inscription’s account helps explain how control over river mouths and coastal access supported later dominance over shipping routes.
The Talang Tuwo inscription records the creation of a park (Śrīksetra) by the ruler Sri Jayanasa and includes Buddhist aspirations for the welfare of all beings. This shows Srivijaya’s use of religion and public works to support royal authority. Religious prestige also helped Srivijaya attract monks and travelers who moved along Indian Ocean routes.
The Kota Kapur inscription from Bangka Island is dated 28 February 686 CE and contains a curse against treason. It also mentions preparations for an expedition against “Bhumi Java,” showing Srivijaya’s willingness to use force to shape regional politics. Securing nearby coasts reduced threats to shipping and strengthened leverage over the Malacca and Sunda sea lanes.
From 688 to 695 CE, Yijing stayed in Srivijaya for years, studying and translating texts. His writing describes Srivijaya as a place where monks could prepare for study in India, indicating stable institutions and services for long-distance travelers. Those same port services supported commercial shipping through the Strait of Malacca.
An inscription at Ligor (Nakhon Si Thammarat) on the Malay Peninsula includes a side dated 775 CE and is connected by scholars to Srivijaya and related dynasties. This points to Srivijaya’s influence extending beyond Sumatra into strategic peninsula locations. Such positions helped monitor and support ships moving through the northern approach to the Strait of Malacca.
A copperplate inscription dated to 860 CE at Nalanda (India) records that the Pala king Devapala supported a monastery requested by Balaputradeva, a ruler linked to Suvarnadvipa (often identified with Srivijaya/Sumatra). This shows Srivijaya’s rulers building religious and diplomatic ties across the Bay of Bengal. These ties supported trade by connecting port-polities with major learning and political centers in South Asia.
After 904 CE, Chinese sources increasingly used the name Sanfoqi (also spelled Sanfotsi) for Srivijaya. Song dynasty records note repeated tribute missions from Sanfoqi between 960 and 1018, showing ongoing state-to-state contact. Regular missions imply active maritime traffic and a political center with resources to manage long-distance shipping and diplomacy.
In 1025–1026 CE, the Chola emperor Rajendra I launched naval attacks against Srivijaya’s key centers, including Palembang and Kedah (Kadaram). Sources describe the capture of Srivijayan leadership and major disruption to Srivijaya’s network of dependent ports (a “mandala,” or influence network). The raids weakened Srivijaya’s ability to enforce control and extract tolls along the Strait of Malacca and nearby routes.
After the Chola attacks, Chinese records indicate that Sanfoqi could refer to more than one place, including entries associated with Jambi and Kedah. This suggests political fragmentation or shifting centers of power within the Srivijayan world. As control loosened, shipping likely relied more on competing ports than on a single dominant gatekeeper at the strait.
By the late 11th century, the pattern of evidence points to Srivijaya no longer holding the same unified command over regional shipping lanes that it had earlier. The Chola raids are a major turning point: they damaged key ports and reduced Srivijaya’s ability to project force and collect revenues. In the long run, trade through the Strait of Malacca continued, but power over it became more contested among regional polities.
Srivijaya control of the Strait of Malacca and regional shipping lanes (c. 7th–11th centuries CE)