Srivijaya and the Maritime Silk Road

Srivijaya controlled the Strait of Malacca, the narrow sea lane every ship between China and India had to pass through, and grew rich taxing that traffic for six centuries. It was a thalassocracy — a state built on water rather than territory — with a navy that could compel merchants into its harbors. It also became a center of Buddhist scholarship: Chinese monks bound for India stopped there for years to study Sanskrit. Its wealth came from a chokepoint, and when trade routes and rivals shifted, it faded so completely that its capital's location was lost until the 20th century.