Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East (Vol. I: Champa; Vol. II: Suvarnadvipa) v2.c13.s2.t2.11

v2.c13.s2.t2.11

We have thus definite evidence that the Śailendras were ruling over Malay Peninsula and Java about the end of the eighth century A. D. Now the story of the grand empire of Zābag, consisting of the islands of Indonesia and Malay Peninsula, first appears in Arab writings in the middle of the ninth century A. D.². The earliest Arab writer, Ibn Khordādzbeh (844-848 A. D.), makes the statement that the king of Zābag is named Mahārāja. This immediately recalls to our mind that in the Ligor Inscription, face B, the Śailendra emperor is said to be ‘Mahārājanāmā’, ‘whose name is Mahārāja’. This is interesting, but can not be regarded as a conclusive argument in favour of the view that the empire of Zābag and the Śailendra empire are one and the same. But, on general grounds, it is reasonable to hold, that there was only one such empire, rather than two, in the Pacific in the ninth and subsequent centuries, as is described by the Arab writers. As the Śailendras undoubtedly ruled over an extensive empire in Malayasia during this period, a *prima facie* case is established for the hypothesis that the Śailendra empire is referred to by the Arabs as the empire of the Mahārāja of Zābag. But before this question can be further discussed we have to consider the identity of Zābag.