Latest / The Srivijaya Empire: Southeast Asia's Forgotten Maritime Superpower — Fexingo History / Srivijaya's Lost Library: The Nalanda Copper Plate
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Srivijaya's connections with China, India, and the wider Buddhist world. But one of the most concrete pieces of evidence for their diplomatic and religious ties comes from a copper plate found in the ruins of Nalanda University in Bihar, India. Luna: Wait, a copper plate from Nalanda? That's the great Buddhist university, right? Lucas: Exactly. Nalanda was the Oxford or Harvard of the ancient Buddhist world — scholars from all over Asia came to study there. In the 19th century, during excavations, archaeologists found a copper plate inscription dating to about 860 CE. It records a grant of four villages by the Pala king Devapala to support a monastery built by a king of Suvarnadvipa — which is almost certainly a reference to Srivijaya. Lucas: The king is named as Balaputradewa, whom we've mentioned before in connection with the Sailendra dynasty. This inscription is essentially a receipt for a major act of patronage: a Srivijayan king funded a monastery at Nalanda, and the local ruler gave land to endow it. Luna: So Srivijaya was sponsoring Buddhist institutions all the way in India? Lucas: Yes, and it wasn't just a one-off donation. This was part of a broader pattern of Srivijayan kings positioning themselves as major patrons of Buddhism, rivaling the Pala and other Indian dynasties. The inscription says the monastery was built for the welfare of all beings and for the propagation of the Buddha's teachings. It also mentions that Balaputradewa was the grandson of a king named Dharmasetu — which connects him directly to the Srivijayan lineage. Lucas: Interestingly, the inscription also refers to Balaputradewa as the 'king of Suvarnadvipa' — the island of gold — which is what the Indians called Sumatra. But some historians debate whether this Balaputra was actually a Srivijayan king or a ruler from the rival Sailendra branch in Java. Luna: What's the argument there? Lucas: Well, the Sailendra dynasty was based in central Java, where they built Borobudur. But by the mid-9th century, they may have been pushed out by the Sanjaya dynasty and sought refuge in Srivijaya. So when Balaputra appears as a king of Suvarnadvipa, it's possible he was a Sailendra who had taken over Srivijaya's throne, or he was a Srivijayan king with Sailendra ancestry. The Nalanda plate is a key piece of evidence for this connection. Luna: How was the monastery at Nalanda connected to Srivijaya itself? Lucas: Well, we know from the Chinese monk Yijing that Srivijaya was itself a major center of Buddhist learning. He studied there for several years before heading to Nalanda, and he wrote that Srivijaya had over a thousand monks studying the scriptures. So it makes sense that Srivijayan kings would want to have a presence at the most prestigious university in the Buddhist world — it was like having a diplomatic mission and a scholarship program rolled into one. Lucas: The Nalanda monastery funded by Srivijaya would have housed monks from Southeast Asia and facilitated the exchange of texts and ideas. Some scholars think that Srivijayan monks brought Sanskrit manuscripts to Nalanda and took back copies of important texts to Sumatra. Luna: So it was a two-way flow of knowledge. Lucas: Exactly. And the inscription itself is written in Sanskrit, in a beautiful script. It begins with an invocation to the Buddha and then praises Devapala as a great king. The language is very diplomatic, showing that Srivijaya was engaging with India on equal terms. This wasn't a tribute relationship — it was a partnership between sovereign powers. Lucas: The plate also mentions that the monastery was named the 'Sri-Nalanda-Mahavihara' — the great monastery of Nalanda. And it specifies that the revenue from the four villages was to be used for the maintenance of the monastery and the monks, including food, clothing, and medicine. Luna: Were these villages in the Nalanda area? Lucas: Yes, they were nearby villages, so the income would go directly to support the monastery. This was a common practice in Indian Buddhism — kings would grant land to monasteries to ensure their financial independence. By doing this, Srivijaya was integrating itself into the Indian Buddhist network in a very tangible way. Lucas: Now, the Nalanda plate also sheds light on the political situation in Southeast Asia. Balaputradewa is described as the 'king of Suvarnadvipa' and the 'grandson of Dharmasetu'. Dharmasetu was an earlier Srivijayan king, so this suggests that Balaputra was from the Srivijayan line, not a Javanese Sailendra. But there's still debate. Luna: Why does it matter which dynasty he belonged to? Lucas: Because it helps us understand how Srivijaya was ruled. If Balaputra was a Sailendra, it means the Sailendra dynasty took over Srivijaya at some point, blending Javanese and Sumatran traditions. If he was a Srivijayan native, then the Sailendra connection is more about marriage alliances. The inscription is one of the few contemporary documents that mention a Srivijayan king by name, so it's crucial for reconstructing their history. Lucas: There's also the question of where Balaputra's kingdom was actually centered. Some argue that Suvarnadvipa might refer to the entire island of Sumatra, while others think it specifically means the Srivijayan heartland around Palembang. Either way, the inscription shows that Srivijaya had the wealth and diplomatic reach to sponsor a monastery at one of the most important Buddhist sites in India. Luna: I'm amazed that such a detailed record survived. Lucas: Copper plates were designed to last — they were often buried or stored in monasteries to preserve legal records. This one was found in the ruins of Nalanda in the late 19th century, and it's now in the Indian Museum in Kolkata. It's a small object, but it tells such a big story about the interconnectedness of the medieval world. Lucas: To give you a sense of the scale: the monastery at Nalanda had eight separate compounds, with temples, libraries, and living quarters for thousands of monks. The Srivijayan monastery was likely one of the many satellite establishments within the larger complex. But by having their own monastery, Srivijayan monks would have had a home base where they could study and teach. Luna: So kind of like a foreign student center. Lucas: Exactly. And it would have been a source of prestige for Srivijaya back home — they could say, 'Look, we have a presence at Nalanda.' It also helped attract scholars to Srivijaya itself, because the king was known as a patron of Buddhism. Lucas: One more thing: the Nalanda plate also mentions a gift of a 'great drum' and other items, which suggests there were rituals and ceremonies attached to the foundation. This was not just a legal document; it was a record of a religious act that would generate merit for the king. Luna: Do we know what happened to the monastery later? Lucas: Unfortunately, Nalanda was sacked by Turkic invaders in the early 13th century, and the library was burned. The monastery probably perished then. But the copper plate survived, buried in the rubble, and was rediscovered centuries later. So in a way, Srivijaya's legacy lived on through this inscription. Lucas: It's a reminder that even though Srivijaya itself faded away, its influence reached far beyond Southeast Asia, all the way to the great centers of Buddhist learning in India. And thanks to this one copper plate, we have a tangible link to that forgotten world. Luna: That's really powerful. It makes history feel close. Lucas: Absolutely. And it shows how much we can learn from a single object, if we take the time to read it.