Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East (Vol. I: Champa; Vol. II: Suvarnadvipa) v2.c13.s2.t2.111

v2.c13.s2.t2.111

Now all these characteristics would be more applicable to Java than Malay Peninsula. The statement that Djāwaga is situated on the borderland between India and China may not be regarded as a decisive argument against Java, if we remember that the early Arab writers had a somewhat vague notion in this respect. It is clear, however, that some of their positive statements, particularly those about the latitude and longitude of Djāwaga, as compared with those of Sribuza and other well-known places, cannot apply to Java. It is thus legitimate to hold that Djāwaga perhaps originally meant Java, but later, the Arab writers located it in some place in the Malay Peninsula. This confusion can be easily explained by the transference of the seat of authority of the Śailendras from Java to Malay Peninsula in the ninth or tenth century A.D. Perhaps the Arab writers applied the original name of the Śailendra kingdom to its new seat of authority.