Page 22 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

Chapter 1. Sriwijaya

season. Because these winds only blow seasonally it took always travel smoothly and that the Tamil merchant
traders travelling the round trip from China to Bagdad guilds which controlled much of this trade would be
about two years to complete the trip. Traders clearly central in any disputes about fairness. Leibner (2014)
wanted to shorten this long trip by finding a mid-point speculated that the virtual monopoly of Sriwijaya over
where they could conduct their commerce. Palembang shipping space and Chinese imports, combined with a
and perhaps in earlier years the mouth of the Musi River tough enforcement of shipping in the Malacca Strait,
during the Kantoli polity, served as such a central entrepôt. would have led to protests by traders. He considered
Provision of this entrepôt was a service for which the that such protests may have been the root cause of the
Sriwijayan Maharajas were richly rewarded from income Javan–Sumatran war of the 990s and the Chola invasion
received from port entry and trading fees (Munoz 2006). of Palembang in 1025.
Merchant ships from both China and the Persian Gulf
ended their voyages in Palembang, where they loaded DECLINE OF SRIWIJAYA
and unloaded cargoes. In this way Trans Asia traders were Manguin (2009) writes that the power of Sriwijaya resulted
able to conduct their business in one location and also in a contest for primacy in the region with other power
in the shortest time possible, instead of having to travel brokers. Most notably with the Chola kings of Southern
to many different locations. This allowed traders to catch India who in 1025 sacked Palembang and raided harbours
the monsoon season to return home or move on to their under the control of Sriwijaya in the Straits of Malacca and
next destination.
elsewhere and captured the Sriwijayan king. Somewhat
The administrative heart of Sriwijaya for most of its confusingly, in 1068 the Chola conquered what is now
history was the capital of Palembang and downstream Kedah and played a principle role in returning it to the
settlements along the Musi River. However, Sriwijaya control of Sriwijaya. The loss of soldiers in this war and the
networked with upstream settlements along the primary associated twenty year’s loss of revenues from disruption of
river systems feeding into the Musi River, including as trade marked the decline in Sriwijaya power in the region.
far upstream as Pasemah. These networks, which were Its territories began to free themselves from Sriwijaya and
probably in place prior to Sriwijaya, allowed the Maharajas form small kingdoms.
to forge alliances and networks with the highland chiefs During the remainder of the 11th century the Chola
(Datus) to control production and trade of alluvial gold appeared to have been active in Sumatran politics. Almost
and forest products (timber as well as oleo-resins) to certainly they supported an increased role for the Tamil
Palembang (Manguin 2009). merchant guilds in the administration of the Palembang
For Sriwijaya to service its entrepôt it needed entrepôt and other trading ports in the region. At the same
considerable warehouse facilities and an efficient time the Song Dynasty rulers in China greatly ramped up
administrative process to successfully accommodate their maritime commercial activities, building its first overseas
merchant trade over such a long period. This apparently merchant navy and thus taking a far more active part in South
was the case. According to the Song Dynasty History China Sea trade. This was also a time when Javanese influence
(Dashu Qin and Kunpeng Xiang 2011), warehouses at appeared to have increased in South Sumatra, to judge from
Palembang, during the period from 960 to 1008, were the statues of 11th century in the Musi River Basin that were
very large and could house more than 350,000 ceramic built in the East Javanese style, and additions to the temple
pieces. This was in addition to a range of other goods, complex at Tanah Abang, an upstream site in the Musi River
an example of which can be obtained from the same Basin. With this decline in Sriwijaya’s political authority its
Song Dynasty History which listed items sent to China political centre is believed to have shifted from Palembang
on 14 tribute missions. These included ivory, rhinoceros to Malayu in Muaro Jambi area, Jambi, and later moved
horn, pearls, Baijin (probably electrum), frankincense, upstream to Dharmasraya, where it remained during the last
Polu Xunluxiang (a kind of incense), mastic, Qiangwei quarter of the 11th century until the 13th century. However,
Shui (rose perfume), crystal, crystal rings, crystal Buddha Palembang continued to be an important trading centre as
statues, Buddhist sutras, memorials with gold inscriptions, indicated by large deposits of Southern Song ceramics found
Jinbu (a kind of cloth), oil for lighting, glass perfume in the Musi. Sriwijaya also maintained a steady economic
bottles, coral, dates, peaches, granulated sugar and pace throughout the 12th century. Temples in Jambi were
Kunlunnu (in Tang and Song periods, people coming enlarged and a close relationship was established with the
from Africa were usually referred to as Kunlunnu). In Javanese Singasari Kingdom. Indian Cholas continued to
this group of goods, pearls, coral and frankincense, etc. influence Jambi politics well into the 13th century. Extensive
probably originated in the Sriwijaya controlled areas or deposits of Chinese ceramic shards dating mainly from the
those of its vassal states. Some of the other products, 12th to 14th century were found in Muara Jambi and other
such as glass perfume bottles, rhinoceros horn, dates sites along the Batang Hari River.
and Kunlunnu, probably came from the Middle East, Manguin (2009) stated that at the start of the 13th
West Asia and Africa. Most probably these warehouses century, Sriwijaya continued to lose influence in the
also received other local products, such as aloe wood, region. Evidence of this was that it had to coerce trading
camphor, sanders, spice, ivory, tin and Caryophyllus oil. ships into its harbours and it lost control over ports, such
It can be imagined that administration of these as at Tambralinga. The Thais also assumed control over
Palembang warehouses and their trade would not much of the Malay Peninsula. In 1263 the East Javanese

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