Sanfoqi 三佛齊 as a Designation for “Srivijaya”

Abstract

Abstract Textual evidence for the existence of Srivijaya (variously addressed as a state, kingdom, or empire in southeastern Sumatra) is very limited and rests on inscriptions as well as a manageable number of pre-modern Chinese texts. According to prevailing scholarly conventions, the term Shilifoshi 室利佛逝 (and variants) in early Tang dynasty texts was replaced in the Song dynasty by the term Sanfoqi 三佛齊. This connection allowed for an extension of Srivijayan history from the early Tang in the seventh century to the mid-Song period in the twelfth century. This essay argues that preconceived interpretations of the original Chinese texts identified Sanfoqi with Srivijaya. A survey of the existing Western scholarship allows the conclusion that assumptions made by early scholars of Srivijayan history have transformed into assured knowledge only in the absence of a stricter philological engagement with the relevant texts from the Song dynasty.