4 Reasons Why the Malacca Strait Has an Important Role in the Srivijaya Kingdom Period?

Illustration of the Malacca Strait (worldhistory.org)

YOGYAKARTA - Did you know that Sriwijaya is a kingdom that has such great maritime power? The great power that Sriwijaya has has an important role in the Strait of Malacca behind it. The kingdom really keeps the Malacca route as one of the backbone of its power. Then why does the Strait of Malacca have an important role in the Sriwijaya Kingdom?

The Reason Why the Malacca Strait Has an Important Role in the Srivijaya Kingdom Period

In a study entitled "Traces of Gold Sriwijaya and Majapahit in Asian Maritime Trade" in the Journal of Culture (2022), it is explained that for Sriwijaya, the Malacca Strait is not a normal route but a key for them to expand economic and political power. The following is the reason why Sriwijaya considers the Malacca Strait important in general.

As a Main International Trade Route

The Malacca Strait is a link between India and China. These two regions were the center of world trade in the past. All merchant ships had to pass through this route. This means that Sriwijaya is in a very advantageous position. By controlling the Malacca Strait, Sriwijaya can access global trade directly.

Merchant Vessel Transit Point

Ships from various regions outside do not directly go to the final destination. They usually stop first to do their needs. At that moment, the Sriwijaya region became an important transit point. There are important activities such as loading and unloading goods, commodity exchange, logistics filling, and many more. This then makes Sriwijaya always crowded with foreign traders.

Control over Trade Flows

Sriwijaya was not only a place of rest. They also controlled the trade route through the Malacca Strait to and from the archipelago, China, and India. Ships from India to China must pass through the Sriwijaya region, and vice versa.

Building International Relations with Other Regions

As a great kingdom, Srivijaya managed to establish diplomatic relations with other regions, especially China. One of the relationships was through the Malacca Strait. From the strait, Srivijaya often sent envoys for trade and political purposes, and vice versa.

Those are some of the reasons why the Malacca Strait has an important role in the era of the Srivijaya Kingdom. Visit VOI.id to get other interesting information.