Sailendra
A powerful ancient dynasty in maritime Southeast Asia, especially in Java and Sumatra, Sailendra dominated Java from about 760 to 860 CE. This dynasty was credited with building a large Buddhist stupa, Borobudur, in the Kedu plain of presentday Central Java. Unlike later predominantly Hindu and then Muslim Javanese dynasties, Sailendra was Mahayana Buddhist.
In the mid-ninth century, Sailendra rule in Java was challenged by an expanding Hindu dynasty that later established the Mataram kingdom. The Sailendra were forced to leave Java for Sumatra, where they had good relations with the powerful Srivijaya kingdom. Sharing the same religion, Srivijaya's ruler accorded the Sailendra the utmost respect, and efforts were made to unite the courts through intermarriage.
The Sailendra found good fortune in Sumatra. They not only received refuge from Srivijaya, but the courts effectively merged into the Sailendra identity, perpetuating this heritage until the kingdom's eleventh-century demise.
Further Reading
Hall, Kenneth R. (1999) "Economic History of Early Southeast Asia." In The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia, vol. 1, part 1, edited by Nicholas Tarling. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.
Taylor, Keith W. (1999) "The Early Kingdoms." In The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia, vol. 1, part 1, edited by Nicholas Tarling. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.
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