Page 29 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

Ceramics from the Musi River

trade in spices and aromatics from the very beginning the Sailendra Dynasty had again become a force and they
and continued to do so until the Portugese arrival in fought battles, presumably against the Hinayana Buddhists,
the Moluccas in 1511 (Donkin 2003). The ‘spice’ trade to gain control of Palembang and established the Sriwijaya
ran through the north coastal Javanese ports of Demak, Kingdom there as both a centre of trade and Mahayana
Jepara, Tuban and Gresik. Later, spices were sent to other Buddhism. The success of this objective was clear, when in
regions in Indonesia, including to Sriwijaya. Sometimes 671 Sriwijaya secured a monopoly over Chinese tributary
this ‘spice’ trade bypassed Sriwijaya and went directly to trade in Western Indonesia (Wolters 1970).
international traders. Contact with Funan can be assumed.
PALEMBANG SETTLEMENTS
Kantoli Polity (late-4th to late-6th century) Modern Palembang is at the junction of the Musi and
Navis (1984, in Singleton 1998) maintained that Mahayana Ogan Rivers above an extensive low-lying coastal plain.
Buddhists from Gandhara, in South India, established the The ancient capital of Sriwijaya was shown by Manguin
Kantoli (Gantuoli, Kuntala) ‘Kingdom’ in eastern Sumatra, (1993) to have been centred at Palembang between Bukit
centred somewhere near the Jambi-Riau border in the late- Seguntang and Sabokingking. Court (1821) wrote that
4th century. Later, it expanded its influence to the northern Palembang was, and still is, considered by locals and
Malay Peninsula and both east and central Java (Navis 1984, foreigners to be the safest and best regulated Malayan
in Singleton 1998). Munoz (2006) regarded Kantoli as the port. He wrote that after entering the mouth of the Musi
successor of KoYing and the immediate predecessor of even the smallest boats were ‘secured from violence and
Sriwijaya as it was the most prominent of a number of small plunder’ from pirates lurking just outside in the Strait.
kingdoms which preceded the rise of Sriwijaya. Manguin (1993) considered that Sriwijaya settlements
Wolters (1967) noted that Kantoli was a significant at Palembang were extensive and extended for more than
enough polity to be accepted by the Chinese as a vassal 12 km along the northern bank of the Musi River and its
state and to which it provided support that enabled Kantoli smaller tributaries (Figure 5 ). All its centres of activity
to control both traffic and piracy in the Malacca Strait were either on the Musi River banks or easily within reach
and monopolise trade in Sumatra. This status of Kantoli by water from downstream of Palembang. No ruler’s
was confirmed by the Chinese who record that Kantoli residence was found, although Sebokingking and Telaga
sent tributary missions to China in 441 and 563. Kantoli Batu, in East Palembang, must have been close to the
was probably also the first centre of the Sailendra Dynasty political centre. Religious sites tended to be located on
in Indonesia. The king of Kantoli promoted Mahayana higher, dry ground. Mahayana (Tantric) Buddhist sites
Buddhism in Sumatra, which drew it closer to India, China were abundant around Palembang and date from the
and Champa (now Central Vietnam), because all those 7th century. Hindu sites were also found there but the
countries had accepted Mahayana Buddhism as a dominant only temple complex of importance was that at Tanah
State ‘religion’. Unfortunately for the Kantoli polity, it lost Abang where the cult of Siwa was practiced around the
its support from the Chinese in the latter half of the 6th 10th century. Slightly upstream of Tanah Abang another
century as a result of internal problems in China. This temple, which has now vanished, yielded a statue of Wisnu.
loss of support resulted in the Kantoli Sailendras ceding In the 12th and 13th century, Chan Ju-kua writes that the
control of commerce in the Straits of Malacca to pirates. Palembang had a wall built of brick, which was tens of
After which, the Kantoli leaders decamped to establish their li in length. ‘The people live scattered about the city or
capital at a site in Java, which they had occupied previously on the water on rafts or boards covered over with reeds’
(Singleton 1998). and pay no tax (Hirth & Rockhill 1911: 60).
Commerce at Kantoli involved Chinese merchants who Edwards Mackinnon (1982) and Manguin (1993)
traded mostly silks and ‘porcelain’ to Sumatra in exchange for reconstructed the spatial arrangements of ancient
bdellium (myrrh) which was being shipped by Indian traders Palembang in the late-1st millennium from the recorded
to Kantoli from Sassanid Persia. Later, locally produced ancient inscriptions and known habitation sites. Their
camphor and benzoin gum replaced myrrh. reconstruction was assisted by the fact that the modern
Given the power and wealth of Funan it is reasonable toponymy of the area situated between the ‘hill’ and
to assume that KoYing, Kantoli and Batujaya polities were Musi River remains similar to that described in the
probably vassals of Funan. The disintegration of Funan history text ‘Sejarah Melayu’. But they experienced
early in the 6th century and its collapse at the end of the some challenges because large bricks from stupa-like
7th century may have freed KoYing and Kantoli to morph structures were reused for construction purposes by the
into Sriwijaya. Dutch. Also many sites had been disturbed or destroyed
Hinayana Buddhists were apparently commercially by modern habitation. Other examples of disturbance
successful at Palembang after they established it as a trading appear at a 16th century Islamic grave Gede Ing Suro
centre. Presumably, this was because they were also influential in east Palembang (near Air Bersih), where a stone
in the highlands and were able to facilitate traffic of natural Boddhisatva image was discovered in 1936. And several
resources from upstream down to Palembang. This success pieces of ashlar masonry are to be seen imbedded
is said to have attracted private Chinese trade at Palembang amongst the brick rubble at Candi Angsoka. Candi Gede
which led to the re-establishment of tributary trade with Ing Suro and Candi Penembahan, which were brick
the Chinese in the first half of the 7th century. Meanwhile, structures dating from the 14th century, were converted

12