Latest / The Srivijaya Empire: Southeast Asia's Forgotten Maritime Superpower — Fexingo History / Srivijaya's Buddhist Monasteries: The Nalanda of Southeast Asia
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, when we think of ancient Buddhist universities, Nalanda in India usually comes to mind. But Southeast Asia had its own powerhouse of learning — the monastic complexes of Srivijaya, especially around Palembang and Muaro Jambi. Luna: I've heard of Muaro Jambi — it's that huge temple complex along the Batanghari River, right? Lucas: Exactly. And it wasn't just temples — it was a full-blown university. Chinese pilgrim Yijing stayed in Srivijaya for about six months in 671 CE, and he wrote that over a thousand monks were studying there. He said the curriculum was rigorous — they studied Sanskrit grammar, Buddhist philosophy, and the Vinaya, the monastic code. Luna: A thousand monks — that's enormous for that time. Lucas: It was. And Yijing himself was a scholar — he came to Srivijaya specifically to learn Sanskrit before heading to Nalanda. He noted that the Srivijayan monasteries were so well-regarded that Chinese monks often skipped Nalanda altogether and just studied in Palembang. Lucas: Before we dive deeper, a quick note — this show is ad-free by design. We don't run ads because we want the history to speak for itself. If you appreciate that, you can support us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Every little bit helps us keep going. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to make a big difference for the show. Lucas: So back to Srivijaya's universities — Yijing described a library system that was incredibly advanced. The monasteries had multiple halls filled with palm-leaf manuscripts, many imported from India. The Pala Empire in Bengal was a major supplier of texts and teachers. Luna: The Pala Empire — that's the same dynasty that supported Nalanda, right? Lucas: Exactly. The Palas were great patrons of Buddhism, and they had strong ties with Srivijaya. Kings like Devapala sent manuscripts and even sponsored the construction of a monastery at Nalanda for Srivijayan monks. It was a two-way street — Srivijaya sent gold and spices, and India sent texts and teachers. Lucas: This exchange helped shape the curriculum. Srivijayan monasteries taught both Hinayana and Mahayana traditions, but by the 8th century, Vajrayana — the esoteric Buddhist path — became dominant. That's important because Srivijaya became a key link in the transmission of Vajrayana to Tibet. Luna: Did Atisha study there? I remember he's a big figure in Tibetan Buddhism. Lucas: Yes! Atisha Dipamkara studied in Srivijaya under a teacher named Dharmakirti, who was considered a master of the Kalachakra teachings. Atisha spent about 12 years in Srivijaya, from 1013 to 1025 CE, before returning to India and eventually travelling to Tibet. He wrote a key text, the Bodhipathapradipa, which became foundational for the Kadam school. Luna: So Srivijaya was basically a graduate school for aspiring Buddhist teachers. Lucas: Exactly. And it wasn't just Tibetans. Monks from China, Java, and even Sri Lanka came to study. The monasteries were organized like small cities — with lecture halls, meditation cells, and stupas for relics. At Muaro Jambi, archaeologists have found hundreds of Buddhist statues, inscriptions, and bronze artifacts that suggest a thriving intellectual community. Lucas: The scale of Muaro Jambi is staggering. It covers about 12 square kilometres along the Batanghari River, with more than a hundred temple ruins. The main temple, Candi Gumpung, was probably a central library or lecture hall. Excavations there uncovered a bronze Buddha statue in the Amaravati style, imported from India. Luna: That's as big as some modern university campuses. Lucas: And it was connected to the broader world. The Batanghari River gave Muaro Jambi direct access to the Strait of Malacca, so manuscripts and teachers could arrive by ship. That's how Srivijaya became the hub of Buddhist learning in Southeast Asia — it was both a commercial and intellectual crossroads. Luna: What happened to these monastic universities? Lucas: They declined after the 11th century, partly due to the Chola invasions. Rajendra Chola's raid on Kadaram in 1025 disrupted Srivijaya's trade networks, and the monasteries suffered. Then the rise of Majapahit shifted the political centre to eastern Java. But the real blow was the Islamization of Sumatra from the 13th century onward. Many monasteries were abandoned or converted. Lucas: Still, the legacy lived on. The monastic model influenced later Buddhist centres in Thailand and Burma. And the texts preserved in Srivijayan libraries helped sustain Buddhism in Tibet after the decline of Nalanda. Without Srivijaya, the Tibetan Buddhist canon might look very different. Luna: It's amazing that an empire built on trade also became a powerhouse of learning. Lucas: That's the thing about Srivijaya — it wasn't just a maritime empire of ships and ports. It was a place where ideas travelled as freely as goods. And its monasteries were the nodes of that intellectual network. For a few centuries, Palembang and Muaro Jambi were the Nalanda of Southeast Asia.