The kingdom of Sriwijaya is derived from two syllables namely Sri which means is bright or glowing and wijaya which means is victory. If combined, Srivijaya means a glorious victory. Given that this kingdom is so famous to worldwide, no wonder if Sriwijaya called by different names in different countries. In Pali and Sanskrit, Sriwijaya is known as Javadeh and Yavadesh. In Tionghoa, the Sriwijaya Kingdom is called San-fo-ts'i, San FoQi or Shih-li-fo-shih. While the Arabs know the kingdom of Srivijaya with Sribuza or Zabaj.
History of Sriwijaya Kingdom and Its Founding:
The history of the kingdom of Sriwijaya increasingly famous until the present generation because of its extraordinary heyday in the century around 9 to 10 AD. At that time, the kingdom of Sriwijaya known to control the trade routes by sea or maritime in Southeast Asia region. In the maritime world, Srivijaya has managed to colonize with almost all the great kingdoms in Southeast Asia. The power of the Kingdom of Sriwijaya has touched the land of Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, Java, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines to Cambodia. The royal power of Sriwijaya involves the control of the route of local trading activities and spices. Where they wear customs to all passing boats. Not only gathering wealth from the maritime, Sriwijaya Kingdom also collects wealth through trading warehouses for the Indian and Chinese markets.
The history of Sriwijaya Kingdom itself is not much to explain when actually this kingdom stands. Because the oldest evidence actually comes from China. Where in 682 AD, there was a Chinese priest named I-Tsingingin deepen Buddhism in the Indian territory, then stopped to study Sanskrit in Sriwijaya for months. At that time, it was also noted that the kingdom of Sriwijaya is controlled by Dapunta Hyang. In addition to news from China, evidence of Sriwijaya's existence is also written in several inscriptions. One of them is Inscription in Palembang namely Kedukan Bukit inscription (605S / 683M). In the inscription, it is known that Dapunta Hyang has expanded for 8 days by involving 20,000 soldiers and managed to master and conquer some areas. Starting from the victory, the kingdom of Sriwijaya more prosperous and prosperous. If you see evidence from China and the inscription in Palembang, experts conclude that the first king of the Kingdom of Sriwijaya was Dapunta Hyang, and this kingdom began to stand around the 7th century.