Ancient Indian Colonization in South-East Asia c9.35

c9.35

Ibn Khordādzbeth (844-848 A.D.) says that the king of Zābag is named Mahārāja. His daily revenue amounts to two hundred *mans* of gold. Sulaymān (851 A.D.) says that Kalah-bar, *i.e.* the country round the Isthmus of Kra in the Malay Peninsula, is a part of the empire of Zābag. Ibn Rosteh (903 A.D.) remarks that "no other king is richer or more powerful than the Mahārāja, *i.e.* king of kings, and none has more revenue." But the most detailed account of Zābag is furnished by Abū Zayd Ḥasan (916 A.D.). He first tells us that Zābag is the name of an island kingdom as well as its capital city. The area of this kingdom is about 900 (square) Parsangs. Then he adds that the king of Zābag is also overlord of a large number of islands extending over a length of 1000 Parsangs or more. Among the kingdoms over which he rules are the island called Sribuza (*i.e.* Śrī-Vijaya) with an area of about 400 Parsangs and the maritime country of Kalah. It is to be noted that here Śrī-Vijaya in Sumatra is clearly distinguished from Zābag, and is said to be merely a dependency of the king of the latter. If Zābag denote Java, as many scholars hold, we find here a corroboration of the view taken above, that Bālaputra-deva, with his seat of authority in Java, was the suzerian ruler of Sumatra and other islands.