Srivijaya : Power, trade and faith in Indonesia's first maritime empire

by Herald van der Linde

Long before Majapahit rose to greatness, Srivijaya controlled the sea routes between India and China. Discover Srivijaya, Indonesia’s first maritime empire.

Every ship that passed through the Strait of Malacca added to Srivijaya’s wealth, funding magnificent temples, nurturing great centres of Buddhist learning and giving rise to Borobudur, the largest Buddhist monument ever built.

Journey through a vibrant world of Chinese monks, Arab sailors, Tamil merchants, pirates, warrior-kings and brilliant princesses. Explore the thriving ports of Sumatra and Kedah, walk the volcanic landscapes of Java and visit the royal courts where diplomacy, marriage and war shaped the destiny of Indonesia. Then witness the dramatic arrival of the mighty Chola empire from southern India, whose devastating naval raids brought Srivijaya’s golden age to an end.

Blending meticulous research with vivid storytelling, Herald van der Linde brings to life one of history’s greatest – and least understood – maritime empires.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

432 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2026

About the author

Herald van der Linde has traveled, lived, and worked in Indonesia and Hong Kong since the '90s. Married to an Indonesian, he is passionate about the social and cultural history of Indonesia and is the author of Jakarta: History of a Misunderstood City (2020), Asia’s Stock Markets From the Ground Up (2021), Majapahit: Intrigue, Betrayal and War in Indonesia’s Greatest Empire (2024), and Srivijaya: Power, Trade and Faith in Indonesia’s First Maritime Empire (2026). He also co-authored A Very Good Year To Learn About Wine (2012) and A(nother) Very Good Year to Learn About Wine (2013).

Reviews

[Periplus Bookshop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kita sekarang ini mungkin hanya mengerti–dengan sangat tipis–tentang kata Sriwijaya dari buku-buku pelajaran sejarah. Paling jauh, mungkin, dari sebuah klub sepak bola lokal yang catatan kejayaannya memudar dimakan waktu. Sejatinya Sriwijaya adalah sebuah nama besar kerajaan yang terkait dengan laut, perdagangan, agama, kekuasaan, hingga jaringan internasional yang menempatkan Nusantara sebagai lintasan penting di Asia. Herald van der Linde, seorang penulis sejarah populer, membuat penelusuran yang menyenangkan melalui buku terbarunya, Srivijaya. Persoalan dasar yang diangkat dalam buku ini adalah bagaimana sebuah kerajaan bercorak maritim mampu menguasai jalur perdagangan laut penting, menjalin hubungan dagang dengan Tiongkok dan India, serta membangun pengaruh kekuasaan politik dan spiritual yang melampaui cakupan wilayahnya sendiri. Srivijaya akan menghadirkan bukti dan interpretasi bagaimana sejak awalnya sejarah Indonesia telah dibangun di atas dasar watak kosmopolitan–kesadaran bahwa pengaruh budaya bisa merembes melampaui batas-batas geografis dan politis. https://www.periplus.com/p/9781915310...

[asih simanis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sriwijaya is the second book by Herald van der Linde that I’ve read, after Majapahit. I pre-ordered it before it was even officially released, simply because Majapahit was THAT good. I wanted to make sure I got my hands on Sriwijaya as soon as possible.

The last time I was this excited about a book was probably during my Harry Potter era (yes, I’m that old), when I would pre-order the latest installment and stand in line just to be among the first to read it.

The difference? I used to finish Harry Potter in one sitting. This one took me a good three weeks.

But considering that I’m now a busy adult, and that this is a book about history rather than teenage wizards, finishing it in three weeks can only mean one thing: it was a good read.

And yes, it was.

As always, Herald manages to make history accessible, engaging, and genuinely fun. His storytelling is a little chaotic, with timelines jumping back and forth and a narrator (Herald himself, essentially) who seems physically incapable of resisting the urge to insert gossip, trivia, and amusing historical detours wherever possible.

Which, frankly, is part of the charm.

This time, Herald takes us back to the world of Srivijaya and the Sailendra dynasty, centuries before Majapahit rose to prominence. Much of their history remains uncertain, with limited and fragmented evidence. Herald attempts to piece together what we know from inscriptions, archaeological discoveries, and historical records, while acknowledging how much we still don’t know.

And I find that fascinating.

Funny enough, I had already heard quite a bit about this history from my husband, who majored in Sanskrit back in the day. I remember being absolutely mind-blown by how little I knew about the history of my own country.

Ever since, I’ve wished someone would write an accessible, compelling book that brings together the historical evidence we do have, so more of us could appreciate just how extraordinary our history actually is.

I guess this book is an answer to that wish.

So why four stars instead of five?

Because I still think Majapahit was better written.

I learned a tremendous amount from Sriwijaya, but somehow I didn’t find it quite as entertaining as Majapahit. And I’ve been wondering why.

Is it because Srivijaya, at least from what we currently know, doesn’t have as many badass queens and fascinating female figures to bring the story to life? Is it because the historical evidence is more fragmented? Is it Herald’s writing this time around?

Or am I simply a biased Javanese woman?

Probably worth some self-reflection. 😆

But here’s one thing this book has made me appreciate even more.

So much of what we Javanese proudly claim as part of our cultural heritage—Borobudur, Kalasan, and even Prambanan—has the history of Srivijaya and the Sailendras written all over it. The connections are far more complex than the neat divisions between kingdoms and ethnic identities that we tend to imagine today.

And another revelation: apparently, we’ve been diplomatically screwing each other over since the eighth century.

People love saying that the Javanese are backstabbers. Well, I’m delighted to report that the Melayu were perfectly capable of playing the same game.

Which brings me to perhaps my favourite takeaway from this entire book:

It’s not a suku problem. It’s a power problem.

Give people enough power, and apparently, they’ve been finding creative ways to betray one another for over a thousand years.

Some things in history really do never change.

Anyway, read the book. It’s good.

[WayChuang Ang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got in touch with the author after his Majapahit book. It is a well-written book, so I was delighted to hear the good news when I asked if he was doing anything about Srivijaya. We even met by chance in Bujang Valley! Fast forward one year, I have the book with me and it doesn't disappoint. With that in context, my review may be a bit bias. But I think you'll do well spending a few bucks getting this book.

This is a well-researched book. Pak Herald is a great story-teller who manages to weave a compelling and coherent narrative from various sources. Right off the start, the readers are given the lineages of Srivijaya dynasties, chronology of important events and maps of important ports/cities to ground the readers. Like a good story teller, the readers are teased with the crescendo with Srivijaya's majesty: The consecration of Borobudur, before the author dials back to the time of Yijing. No civilization was developed in vacuum, Srivijaya's ebb and flow was tightly intertwined with the rise and fall of other regions, from Tang to Song dynasty in China, from Pala to Chola dynasty in India, to Khmer empire in modern day Vietnam/Cambodia.

Back in highschool when I was taught history lessons, I was taught the rote way and I hated the compulsory history lessons. Have you ever wonder why Chola dynasty attacked Srivijaya? No explanation was given back in school. The answer is Srivijaya wanted to prevent Chola from trading directly with China, in doing so, they cunningly told China that Chola was a vassal state of Srivijaya. When Chola found out, they made sure that Srivijaya paid for their insolence. Now, this is just a nugget of interesting facts found in this book. Want to know more? Go get the book and read it.

Personally, I would rate this book 9/10 because of the typos especially when it comes to names. Goodreads doesn't provide 1 - 10 scale, so I go ahead and give it a 5. If you're not a nitpicky reader, you'll probably missed the typos.

[Tri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just hit my 2026 reading goal early—book 31/30 done! 📚🎉

I just finished Srivijaya: Power, Trade and Faith in Indonesia's First Maritime Empire by Herald Van Der Linde (loved his book on Majapahit last year). This one covers an even older Southeast Asian power that controlled the Malacca Strait from the 7th to 12th centuries, controlling trade between India and China. Fun fact: they were also behind Candi Borobudur in Central Java!

The author did a great job bringing historical figures to life, connecting Srivijaya with Tang/Song Dynasty China (including Empress Wu Zetian) and the Chola Dynasty in India—who ultimately brought Srivijaya down.

Giving it a solid 4/5 stars ⭐ (lost a point for a few typos, likely because I suspect it was written relatively quickly (compared to the Majapahit book)).

Thank you for the few cool maps here of Srivijaya’s key ports and fascinating family tree (like King Udayana of Bali and his son Airlangga, who paved the way for Singhasari and eventually Majapahit!).

[Robby Sunata · Rating 5 out of 5]

As of this writing, this is the finest book on Sriwijaya published in the 21st century.
The author skillfully weaves together diverse historical data, creating a narrative that flows seamlessly from start to finish; his extensive reading allows for fluid transitions across time and place without any sense of disjointedness between sections.
The author is also adept at vividly describing the settings in which the history unfolds, helping readers construct mental images that truly resonate with the era of the events described.
This is a must-read for anyone interested in Sriwijaya—an ancient *Kadatuan* (polity) that rose to immense wealth and power by controlling the ancient spice routes between East and West, which inevitably had to traverse the waters of Southeast Asia.
While the Umayyad Dynasty was just emerging in the Middle East and seven small Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were warring against the Briton-Celtic kingdoms in Britain, Sriwijaya was already extending its powerful grasp across Southeast Asia.

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliantly written and well researched book by Herald van der Linde. I feel like historians covering ancient SEA kingdoms have it really tough, there's not that much material to work with, and even less so with Sriwijaya. Unlike the Romans which left many detailed accounts on their politics, their conquests, even the lives of the caesars, there is just not much with Sriwijaya other than inscriptions and accounts from foreigners. There are periods when there's just silence and we simply don't know what was going on. Yet against all these challenges, Herald managed to keep me glued to the book and made me super invested in what happens next in the story. Amazing job, well done.

[Bjorn Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Herald’s earlier book about Majapahit and was eagerly looking forward to this release. Amazing stories and backed up by lots of painstaking research. Thank you Herald for shining a light onto the amazing and oft overlooked history of ancient empires that shape this region. Will check out your other work of Jakarta and can’t wait to see what you work on next!

Cheers,
Bjorn
Singapore