Srivijaya : a Buddhist centre in maritime Southeast Asia (7th-11th Centuries)

Abstract

Srivijaya, the illustrious Buddhist thalassocracy, was known for its geopolitical and economic hegemony in Maritime Southeast Asia from the 7th-11th centuries, and it continued to be an important local power in subsequent centuries. Despite its distinguished political and economic position, its religious contribution to Buddhist development in the Maritime Southeast Asia and its religious interaction with other regions has been underappreciated. This research undertakes a descriptive-thematical analysis of Buddhist activities in Srivijaya and its interactions with other regions, particularly South and East Asia, through local and foreign textual and epigraphical evidence supported with archaeological data. The significance of the research highlights the significant position of Srivijaya as a Buddhist centre that could pave the path of future research regarding religious and intellectual dimensions in the pre-Islamic period in Maritime Southeast Asia. The finding shows that Srivijayan rulers sponsored a number of Buddhist public works for various reasons in Srivijaya and established Buddhist interaction through diplomatic relations with other polities in South Asia and China. Numerous Buddhist monks, either local and foreign, were identified have stayed in Srivijaya to study and teach Buddhism, translate religious texts, propagate the religion, and meet other intellectuals. Srivijaya was a nexus for trade and ideas between South and East Asia, and offered numerous indigenous and local contributions that have been ignored by previous historians. Several Buddhist texts were written in Srivijaya by local and foreign monks preserved in foreign translations in China and Tibet, which underscores the profound and wide-reaching importance of the centre to Buddhist culture and civilization.