The Mysterious Origin of the enigmatic Shailendra of Java

Dr Uday Dokras
Pre-Phnom (Funan) Kingdom
People of Kok Tlok (Kok means dry land and Thlok is a name of a big large tree) was a
native to Phnom Kingdom (Funan recorded by Chinese) they lived in a land surrounding with
water mixing from river and sea. They claimed that they were a descendant of the Naga
people.

Was the Funan Kingdom a Khmer nation?

Funan was a Khmer nation which was later leaded by King Kao Din ( From Indian) after he
married with Queen Sor Ma (Khmer). I mean the nation had already built before the Prince
arrived. It was leaded by the first Cambodian queen. Queen Soma of Kok Thlok and King
Kaudinya of South India ruled Phnom (Funan). They named people of their Kingdom
“Khmer” and named their Kingdom “Phnom” (Mountain). King Kaudinya became the first
Khmer Varman dynasty. The ruling family of Khmer Phnom (Funan) was the Kumeru-Soma
clan (Lunar) who named their people Kumer later become Khmer after the King name
Kumeru.
Phnom Kingdom (Mountain Kingdom) Funan named by the Chinese travellers Kang Tai and
Zhu Yi from Wu Kigdom of China in the 3rd century.From the 1st century ad to 6th century
ad. Phnom Kingdom (First temple in Ba Phnom, Takeo province in Cambodia)
Phnom (Funan) was the first large Southeast Asia civilization. It was centered on the lower
Mekong Delta in present -day Cambodia.

Phnom Kingdom was very famous, people from Champa, Java, India, China, Roman, Greek,
Persia came to visit and trade with people of Phnom Kingdom. The Chinese named it Funan
ruling by King Hun Tien and Queen Lievye. King Kumeru Kaudinya Jayavarman sent a
message to his brothers at Indrapat Kingdom in India, informed them that he found a home in
east near Champa Kingdom. His brothers were very happy sending ships with many men and
many gifts and informed the bad news that the King father had passed away after the
departure of Prince Kumeru. Phnom Kingdom had many Indian men married with women of
Kok Tlok and the Indigenous women of Kok Tlok.

Capital: Vyadhapura (Today Angkor Borei in Ta Keo province, Cambodia).

Ethnicity: Khmer
Language: Spoken old Khmer, Sanskrit writing.
Culture: Mixed of native beliefs, Neak Ta. Hinduism and Buddhism.
Administration; Taxes were paid in silver, gold, pearl, perfumes wood. Used bronze
coins as their currency.
Legacy: King and Queen of Mountain (The Java based Shailendra claimed that they
were descendant of Phnom (Mounting Kingdom).
Economy: Phnom (Funan) was first SEA great economy. It was prosperous through
maritime trade and agriculture using Oc Eo as its important port traded with
foreigners such as Indian, Cham, Java, Chinese, Roman, Greek and Persian.

King and Queen of Phnom Kingdom had 11 children. King Kumeru Kaudinya Varman ruled
77 years and died in the age of 103 years. Queen Nagi Phervatei Soma die at the age of 100
years. Their children, grand-children and great-grandchildren continued to reign Phnom
Kingdom until the 6th century. After that, their descendants were intermarried with their
cousin the Kampu-Mera clan (Solar) of Kampuchea (Cambodia) Chenla.

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Quen Soma. Funan, the first Khmer Phnom Kingdom of Cambodia. Wars with Vietnem

Khmer Empire Vietnam wars

The Khmer Empire really tried many times to conquer the ancient Vietnamese state - Dai
Viet/the Great Viet Kingdom (Vietnam) during the 12th century when the powerful Empire -
Kkmer still dominated the Mainland of Southeast Asian and the Vietnamese weak state - the
Dai Viet Kingdom

Background:
During the 12th century, the Khmer Empire was powerful country compared to its
neighbouring around including Dai Viet Kingdom (Vietnam). In general, they dominated the
terrritories which covered most of parts of Vietnam, Laos, Thailand today.

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At the time Dai Viet Kingdom (Vietnam) was in a vulnerable position due to internal conflict
and a series of wars with their neighbors. In 1127, the 12-years-old Crown Prince Lý Dương
Hoán became new ruler of Dai Viet. Suryavarman II , the ruler of the Khmer Empire
demanded Dai Viet kingdom to pay tribute for the Khmer Empire, but it wasn't happening.
After the Vietnamese refused to pay tribute to the Khmers, Suryavarman II decided to expand
his territory northward into Vietnamese territory.

Conflicts:
In 1128: King Suryavarman II led 20,000 soldiers from Savannakhet (Laos today) to Nghe
An (Central Vietnam today) but were routed in battle. The following year Suryavarman
continued skirmishes on land and sent 700 ships to bombard the coastal areas of Dai Viet.
In 1132: The Khmer Empire and Champa Empire jointly invaded the Dai Viet Kingdom and
briefly seizing Nghe An of Dai Viet.
According to the Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu book (“the official history book of ancient
Vietnam), the Khmer Empire also attacked Dai Viet in 1136, 1149, 1150 under the
Surayavarman II period, 1216, 1218 of next Khmer’s Kings (Detail later)
Aftermath
The Dai Viet Kingdom protected itself from the Khmer Empire but the Khmer Rouge still
dominated the region until slowly weakening after a few next centuries and replaced by
Vietnam and Thailand as dominant players in the eastern of Mainland Southeast Asia.
Lusia Millar

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Matriarchal Society: Kok Tlok was ruled by a Princess Nagi, a daughter of the King and
Queen of Naga. Men and women wore the animal skins on their below bodies, but nothing on
top of their bodies. Only women can chose men to get married with. After marriage,
husbands must come to live with their wives’ parent houses. Wives were the men of the
houses, husbands had no objection when wives decided what to do, women were the
leadership, women controlled the business as we can see today in every public market in the
current Kampuchea (Cambodia). Women were Mé , Men were Ba. Children called their
mother Mé and called their father Ba. Mé means first, chief, big or huge. Mé was played very
important role in Kok Tlok Kingdom. When children get married, they needed Mé and Ba for
blessing them at their wedding ceremony. Children used their mother family name instead of
their father family name. People of Kok Tlok believed in nature spirits, in animal spirits and
Neat Ta spirits. People of Kok Tlok killed fish, wild animals and picked fruits in the jungle
for their food. They had their mother tongue speaking language, but they didn't have a writing
system of language. When they died, their death bodies were brought into the jungle or
cremated them in their village. The Khmer built the Naga statues in every Khmer temple in
Cambodia to remind of the ancestors of Khmer before the Indian arrival.

Who was the ruling family of Khmer Phnom (Funan) Kingdom, pre-Cambodia?

The ruling family of Khmer Phnom (Funan) was the Kumeru-Soma clan (Lunar) who named
their people Kumer later become Khmer after the King
name Kumeru. Phnom Kingdom (Mountain Kingdom) Funan named by the Chinese
travellers Kang Tai and Zhu Yi from Wu Kigdom of China in the 3rd century.
From the 1st century ad to 6th century AD.Phnom Kingdom (First temple in Ba Phnom,
Takeo province in Cambodia). Phnom (Funan) was the first large Southeast Asia civilization.
It was centered on the lower Mekong Delta in present -day Cambodia Phnom Kingdom was
very famous, people from Champa, Java, India, China, Rome were in toiuch with the
kingdom..

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The ancient Khmer did leave many historical writings on palm leaves or on stone inscriptions
and even carving how the ancient Khmer living in ancient times. Some are lost because of
many wars and because the enemies burned and destroyed them.

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The Khmer Empire is one of the strongest Empires in Mainland Southeast Asia together with
the Burmese Empire, the Thai Kingdom, and the Viet Kingdom. There are many debates
about your question of how the Khmer Empire fall. However, from my point of view, with
the short answer, the Khmer Empire fall because the Khmer imperial court had not enough
power to maintain its Empire and make its vassal states and edge territorial loyal to itself.

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At its height, Khmer Empire consists not only central state: Cambodia but also several vassal
states around the

King Ramkamheing of Siam (Thailand)

Ram means (Ream=Brother) and Kamhaing means (Kamhaing=Threaten).

Ram Kamhaing = Threatened by brother. The King was a brother of the Khmer King
Jayavarman VIII.In the 13th century in order to found a Kingdom for his wife, his children
and his Siam people who support him, he stole the secret documents from Angkor and he was
threatened by his King brother. He was known as the father of Siam who invented the Siam
alphabets, but he didn’t invent, he just copied the Khmer alphabets, took all the hair on top of
the Khmer alphabets out and made them as the Siam a

In some Indonesian history forums/pages that I follow, sometimes there’s a debate about
where the Shailendra came from. One group says that Shailendra came from Sumatra. And
the other says that Syailendra were originally Javanese but with Srivijaya influences.
Other options are rarely discuss in Indonesia. There are 4 possibilities of the origin of
Syailendra Dinasty or in Indonesian we call them “Wangsa Syailendra / Wanga Sailendra.”

Shailendra dynasty - What is the meaning of Shailendra (Sanskrit शैलेंद्र) ?

Shailendra (IAST: Śailendra) is a Sanskrit combined words Śaila and Indra, meaning "King of
the Mountain", It is often used as an epithet of the Hindu god Shiva. It is commonly used as a
male given name in the Indian subcontinent. This Javan d ynasty ruled from about 750 to 850
CE. The bas relief of 8th century Borobudur depict a King sitting in Maharajalilasana ( king's
posture or royal ease ) pose, with his Queen and their subjects, the scene is based on

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Shailendran royal court. It was the notable Indianised dynasty whose reign signified a
cultural renaissance in the region.

The Shailendras are considered to have been a thalassocracy and ruled vast swathes of
maritime Southeast Asia, however they also relied on agricultural pursuits, by way of
intensive rice cultivation on the Kedu Plain of Central Java. The dynasty appeared to be the
ruling family of both the Mataram Kingdom of Central Java, for some period, and the
Srivijaya Kingdom in Sumatra. The inscriptions created by Shailendras use three languages;
Old Malay , Old Javanese , and Sanskrit - written either in the Kawi alphabet , or pre- Nāgarī
script .

The use of Old Malay has sparked speculation of a Sumatran origin, or Srivijayan connection
of this family. On the other hand, the use of Old Javanese suggests their firm political
establishment on Java. The use of Sanskrit usually indicates the official nature, and/or
religious significance, of the event described in any given inscription. Primary sources. The
Sojomerto inscription (c. 725) discovered in Batang Regency , Central Java, mentioned the
name Dapunta Selendra and Selendranamah . The name 'Selendra' was another spelling of
Shailendra, suggested that Dapunta Selendra was the progenitor of Shailendra family in
Central Java. The inscription is Shaivist in nature, which suggests that the family was
probably initially Hindu Shaivist. The earliest dated inscription in Indonesia in which clearly
mentioned the dynastic name of Śailēndra as Śailēndravamśatilaka appears is the Kalasan
inscription (778) of central Java,
The idea that supports Shailendra’s Funan origin was proposed by Coedes.He he believed
that Syailendra came from Funan because of the similar title. But he didnt discuss other
proofs regarding Syailendra Dynasty origin including the inscription that was written in Old
Malay language.
The name 'Selendra' was first mentioned in Sojomerto Inscription (725) as "Dapunta
Selendra". Dapunta Selendra is suggested as the ancestor of Shailendras. The title Dapunta
is similar to those of Srivijayan King Dapunta Hyang Sri Jayanasa, and the inscription —
although discovered in Central Java north coast — was written in old Malay, which
suggested the Sumatran origin or Srivijayan connection to this family.

English translation of the Sojomerto Inscription:

Praise to Lord Shiva Bhatara Parameshvara and all the gods ... from the honorable
Dapunta Selendra Santanu is the name of his father, Bhadrawati is the name of his
mother, Sampula is the name of the wife of noble Selendra.

With this inscription, many historians believe that Syailendra spoke old Malay and might
came from Sumatra because the used of the name Dapunta which was Srivijayan name.
Other theory is they were Javanese but spoke old Malay because of Srivijaya influence.
Srivijaya (Sumatran) origin theory is more convincing. Anyway, we can also look at
Sailendra Dynasty relic, Borobudur. A relief on that temple shows a ship that often called as
Borobudur ship.

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.

.
This ship predates the bigger Majapahit ship known as Djong. Though not big, this type of
ship is the one that took Srivijayans to Madagascar and helped them traded with East
Africans.I honestly dont know much about Funan. But if Syailendra came from Funan, why
they used old malay and painted a typical Srivijaya/Austronesia ship on their temple?
Is it true that the Sailendra of Java, Indonesia, was a descendant of the Khmer royal
family of Phnom (Funan) Kingdom of Cambodia?

It is said that the Shailendras were active promoters of Mahayana Buddhism but there is a
section that feels that they were Hindus since their names were from the Hindu Scriptures as
you will read further on and rulked over the Kedu Plain of Central Java with Buddhist
monuments , one of which is the colossal stupa of Borobudur. In some Indonesian history
forum on the origin of Shailendras.Some say they came from Sumatra And the other says
that Shailendra were originally Javanese but with Srivijaya influences.

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Vietnam has 1.3 million Khmer people living in the southern provinces of Tra Vinh, Soc
Trang, Kien Giang, An Giang, Bac Lieu, Can Tho, and Vinh Long. The Khmer do farm work,
fish, and produce handicraft products. They have a rich culture of folk songs, folk tales,
festivals, temples, and pagodas. The Khmer language is a branch of the Mon-Khmer
language group. Although the Khmer live in the same provinces as Kinh and Chinese people,
they congregate in their own villages.The Khmer earn a living from fishing, weaving cloth
and mats,

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The area that is today Southern Vietnam did not look at all like it is now. It was mostly
swamps and dense jungles. And it was nominally under the administration of the Cambodian
court.
There were pockets of Khmers here and there, but for the large part, they did not really
inhabit much of the area, because it was flood-prone. Khmers were more concentrated
upstream of the Mekong River, in the area that is today Cambodia.

First and foremost, Since 1953/1954, Cambodia has officially regained its independence
and the legitimate rulers of Cambodia should be the Cambodian people instead of the
Vietnamese, the Chinese or the Thai people.

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 SHAILEDRAS are from INDIA?

This is the 5 th theorey that Mahendravarman, vraḥ kamrateṅ añ Śrī Mahendravarmma in

Pre-Angkorian Khmer also titled Citrasena, was a king of the kingdom of Chenla, modern
day Cambodia, during the 6th century. Chenla was the direct predecessor of the Khmer
empire. Citrasena was a close relative of Bhavavarman I , whom he joined to conquer
the Kingdom of Funan, and whom he succeeded as king and adopting the name
Mahendravarman. After Bhavavarman's death, Mahendravarman took residence in the capital
at Sambor Prei Kuk while the same time Hiraṇyavarman was ruling Cambodia.
Mahendravarman sent an ambassador to Champa to "ensure friendship between the two
countries.”
After the death of Mahendravarman, his son Īśānavarman , had taken the control of the
kingdom, where his father ruled for several years. He ruled the kingdom until 628. His sons
were namned
1. Śivadatta
2. Īsvarakumāra Khmer
3. Yuvarāja (Name not identified from historical records)

All above names are Hindu names.

The connection between the Pallava dynasty of India and the Varman dynasty of
Cambodia (Kamboja).

In 731, the Pallava king Parameswaravarman died without any heir and hence the Pallava
Empire was without a king. Parameswaravarman was the last ruler of the Simhavishnu line of
Pallavas. That their enemies would not utilize the opportunity to invade the country, the
military leaders, scholars and representatives of mercantile and peasantry formed an
entourage and undertook a long journey to reach the kingdom of– modern day Cambodia and
Vietnam– ruled by a certain Kadavesa Hari Varma, who stemmed from the Pallava lineage
and was 6th descendant of Bhimavarman, the brother of the great Simhavishnu. When
Simhavishnu ascended the throne (6th Century AD), the Pallava dynasty was beginning to
reassert its supremacy.

Simhavishnu led the revival of the Pallavas, and the period starting with him came to be
known as the Greater Pallavas or later Pallavas dynasty. The great struggle between the
Pallavas and the Chalukyas, which would last for more than two centuries, began during the
reign of Simhavishnu.

The southern peninsula of India was then ruled by five dynasties. The Pallavas, the Cholas
and the Pandyas shared the power in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, parts of southern and
eastern Karnataka border and Ceylon; the Cheras controlled Kerala and the Chalukyas
controlled Karnataka. Simhavishnu, who was known for his gallant martial courage and
judicial wisdom from a young age, overthrew the Kalabras and conquered the region up to
Kaveri, where he came into conflict with the Pandyas and Ceylon. He dispatched a naval
expedition and occupied Malaya and Sri Lanka and established Kanchipuram as his capital.
The presence of the Pallavas, much before further naval expeditions to Indo-China by their
illustrious succeeding and contemporary empires such as the Pandiyans and the Cholas, is

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attested by the existence of specimen of art bearing striking resemblance in countries like
Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, as well as scores of inscriptions in those lands in the Grantha
script (a script in which both Tamil and Sanskrit can be written) in which the Pallavas
were the first to specialize.

checkered scarf/ Vam Ray Pagoda in Tra Vinh, Vietnam. This is one of many pagodas
imbued with Khmer Buddhist architecture in the South of Vietnam.

Cambodian king Kadavesa Hari Verma had four sons. The first three (Kshatriyamalla,
Sangramamalla and Rajamalla) declined the offer. The last one Pallava Malla Parameswara
also known as Nandivarman, who was then 14 years old, accepted the request.
Nandivarman’s becoming a king at such an early age is referred to in many inscriptions and
contemporary literature (referring to him as “The one of strong arms who got the kingdom at
a tender age” or the one who became king at an early age).

Nandivarman was an intellectual with aptitude in many arts like writing, poetry, music and
philosophy. Like his predecessor Rajasimha, he is credited with augmenting temple
dramatized dance worship like Kutiyattam and chakyar koothu with many plays of his own.
He is known to have composed the same in Tamil, also, as can be seen from the poem
“Nandikkalambakam” that celebrates his erudition in Tamil, while also hailing his great
conquests. Nandi Varman is also known to have had expertise in the work of karnisuta a
magnum opus in Sanskrit dealing with crimes and punishment. The alwar saint Tirumangai
Alwar, who was a contemporary of this Pallava, also dedicates several verses in his
Divyaprabhandam to describe successful wars at Thellaru, Nellai (Tirunelveli), Urayur and
Karur and kalikottai (Kozhikode) of Tamil Chera kingdom in Kerala. He is also known for
his good looks and liking for training in gymnastics.

Nandivarman was a Vaishnava devotee, as is seen from his construction of the Vaikuntha
Perumal temple and his patronage of Tirumangai Alvar; he paid his respects to the pair of
‘worshipful feet of Mukunta’. The copper plate grants of his times give us a picture of the
privileges, especially educational, enjoyed by the Brahmins. He was a builder of temples. The
Paramesvaravinnagaram at Kanchi, the Kesava Perumal temple at Kuram, the Tiruvadigai
and the Muktesvara temples at Kanchi were all built by him.

Nandi Varman inherited a kingdom that was made strong by the efforts of his illustrious
predecessors like Parameswaravarman and Rajasimha. The Deccan enemies of the Pallavas,
who had for long been at the receiving end from successive Pallava kings, used the

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opportunity resulting from the anarchy and seem to have attempted to march against the
Pallava kingdom. Nandivarman, then only 13 years old, was not equipped physically and
mentally to command an army, nor was he allowed to take to the battlefield as per war
rule. Pallavas for the first time in their illustrious history made a tactical wait and watch.
This, however, did not have any consequence and the Pallava territories were never
endangered. The previously mentioned enemy also is known to have been further defeated
decisively during an invasion by the benevolent Pandyan Srivallabha Pandiyan in whose
kingdom the alwar saint Periyalwar lived and composed. As noted from many of his
inscriptions, the period witnessed general peace and trade flourished. The poem
Nandikkalambakam, which informs us of his great servitor ship to saivite tradition, also says
that “ships from far off continents, loaded with great wealth, creaking to the point of
breaking, sailed into the kingdom regularly”. Nandi Varman was successful in defeating
many of his foes, who mainly ruled states in the Deccan with the help of his brave
commander called Udayachandran, who was a part of the entourage that accompanied him
from Cambodia and who had long been serving in the king’s special forces in 731 A.D.
Nandi Varman was also a very pious man noted for his generosity to temples at Karkudi (the
temple still bears his name as Uyyakondan Tirumalai and is mentioned in Tevaram hymns),
vennainallur and parameswara vinnagaram in Kanchipuram. The Pandyan kingdom also
came under Pallavan rule after their defeat in the war at nellai or tirunelveli. Several other
Saiva and Vaishnava exponents like purushottama nambikal, nakkeera devar, tirukanna
nambikal etc. lived during Nandivarman’s period and composed several hymns to their lord.
A temple for goddess Bhagavati (Durga) was built in Nagercoil by Nandivarman and this
shows that the Pallavas reigned supreme in the south during his period.

Sivakamiyin sapatham and Ponniyin selvam are famous modern day literature fictionalizing
the period.Nandi Varman died in 796.

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