Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East (Vol. I: Champa; Vol. II: Suvarnadvipa) v2.c13.s2.t2.69

v2.c13.s2.t2.69

The Arab writers of the tenth century A.D. refer to the extension of the authority of Zābag over the various islands of the Pacific. But Abū Zayd Ḥasan ( c. 916 A.D. ), our earliest authority in this respect, clearly distinguishes the kingdom of Zābag proper, with its capital city called Zābag, from the island called Sribuza,¹ forming a dependent state of the former. In Sribuza we cannot fail to recognise Śrī-Vijaya. Thus it is quite clear that Zābag was originally a different kingdom, and had extended its authority over Śrī-Vijaya at least as early as the tenth century A.D. It is, no doubt, due to this extension of political authority of Zābag over the various islands, that the Arab writers gave the name of Zābag to the whole of Malayasia. But the island of Zābag proper was always distinguished from the Zābag empire comprising the archipelago. In view of the agreement between the accounts of Arab writers and the Cullavaṃsa, we are justified in locating the kingdom of Zābag proper in the Malay Peninsula, probably in the neighbourhood of Ligor.