Ancient Indian Colonization in South-East Asia c9.31

c9.31

An additional argument in favour of my view is afforded by the Arab writers who from the middle of the ninth century onwards refer to the great empire of the Mahārājā known as Zābaj or Zābag. All scholars agree that this refers to the empire of the Śailendras. When, therefore, an Indian inscription refers to Bālaputradeva of the Śailendra dynasty as lord of Suvarṇadvīpa, about the middle of the ninth century A.D., nothing is more natural than to suppose that the term was used to denote Malay Archipelago or Zābaj of Arab writers, which, according to Alberuni, was called by the Hindus Suvarṇadvīpa.