The Chola empire based in Cholapuram on the Coromendel Coast of southeast India lasted from 300BC to 1279. The Srivijaya empire based in Palembang in south Sumatra lasted from 601 to 1300. The contemporaneous empires from India and Indonesia respectively both straddled the Maritime Silk Road between Song dynasty China (960 - 1279) in the east and the Fatamid Caliphate (909 - 1171) in the west.
Chola and Srivijaya seaports would service and trade with the ships plying the Maritime Silk Road. The Maritime Silk Road brought great wealth to both the Chola and Srivijaya empires.
In the beginning, goods between China and the Middle East would be transhipped at both Chola and Srivijaya ports, hence profiting both empires greatly. During this era of co-prosperity, two empires enjoyed cordial relations.
From the 10th century, advancements in ship technology allowed ships plying between China and the Middle East to make only one stop to traverse the Maritime Silk Road.
This would be game changing - making either the Chola or Srivijaya ports redundant. It would mean that greater prosperity for one empire would be at the expense of the other - a zero sum game.
The Srivijaya made the first move. Orang Laut (sea nomads) loyal to Srivijaya were enlisted to commandeer trading ships and "guide" them to Palembang, the Srivijaya capital or Kadaram its northern outpost in today's Kedah, north Malay Peninsula. The trading ships had to co-operate or face plunder. Served by Srivijayan ports, the Indonesian empire prospered at the expense of the Chola empire (whose ports were bypassed).
This enraged king Rajendra Chola I who launched a naval expedition against the Srivijaya in 1025. The ensuring sea battle was a tactically brilliant operation even by today's standards with today's technology (remember this battle took place 1000 years ago with only wind power, primitive compass and the stars for navigation).
Rajendra Chola I sent two forces - the main strike force and a diversionary force.
The diversion force sailed to the northern entrance of the Malacca Straits (feinting an attack on Tambralinga, a Srivijayan ally roughly in today's Surat Thani, south Thailand). This drew the Srivijayan navy out from their base in Palembang to meet the Chola fleet at the north of the Malacca Straits.
Meanwhile, the Chola's main fleet headed south down the Indian Ocean west of Sumatra, sneaked through the Sunda Straits between south Sumatra and Java, and hooked north to attack Palembang.
When the Chola main attacking force arrived at the doorstep of Palembang, most of Srivijayan navy was already lured to the north of the Malacca Straits leaving the capital city more or less defenceless. The Chola fleet razed Palembang and captured the hapless Srivijayan king Sangrama Vijayatunggavarman with little resistance.
Palembang subdued, the Chola main force then headed north trapping the Srivijayan navy between the Chola diversion force and main force. The bottled Srivijayan navy was decimated. The Cholas also sacked Kadaram (today's Kedah), the Srivijayan northern bastion.
With this disastrous defeat, the Srivijaya empire came under Chola overlordship and declined in influence, wealth and prestige from which it never recovered until it was finally dissolved in 1300.
The Chola empire was at its height but after the death of Rajendra Chola I, succession disputes, rebellions and wars weakened the empire leading to its dissolution in 1279 (ironically earlier than the Srivijayans).
Orang Laut are still there operating in Malacca straits
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