Sanfoqi

Sanfotsi (), also written as Sanfoqi, was a trading polity in Southeast Asia mentioned in Chinese sources dated from the Song dynasty circa 12th century. In 1918, George Cœdès concluded that Chinese forms of ''San-fo-ts'i'' (Sanfoqi), ''Fo-ts'i'' (Foqi), ''Fo-che'' (Foshi), ''Che-li-fo-che'' (Shilifoshi), which correspond to Arabic ''Sribuza'' and can be reconstructed as ''Śribhoja'', are names referring to the Srivijaya empire, located in Palembang, South Sumatra, in present-day Indonesia. After the Chola invasion of 1025, the term Sanfoqi has been proposed to refer to the Melayu kingdom, since the Chola invasion may have caused the disintegration of the Srivijaya mandala, and the mandala then re-centered in Jambi.

Others argued that Sanfotsi is more likely a transliteration of '' Suvarnabhumi'', which may refer to Suvarnadvipa or Sumatra.

Accounts

Chinese accounts mentioned a place named ''Shilifoshi'' (室利佛逝), and this is taken to mean Srivijaya. However, after 904 the named changed to ''Sanfotsi'' or ''Sanfoqi'' (三佛齊, literally "three vijayas"). Song dynasty annals recorded a number of missions sent from Sanfoqi between 960 and 1018.

Chinese records also indicated that there were at least two different places named Sanfoqi after the Chola attack on Palembang: ''Sanfoqi-Zhanbei'' (for Jambi) and ''Sānfóqí Zhu nian'' (Kedah).

Sanfotsi as a state is recorded in many Chinese sources such as the Chinese annals Chu-fan-chi written by Chau Ju-kua, and '' Ling-wai tai-ta'' by Chou K'u-fei (). Excerpts here translated by Hirth and Rockhill:

''Hsin-Tang-shu''

This Tang dynasty chronicle '' Hsin-Tang-shu'' mentioned that the envoy of ''Mo-lo-yu'' (Melayu Kingdom) came to Chinese court in 644–645. While the envoy of ''Shih-li-fo-shih'' (Srivijaya) came for the first time in 670.

Yijing

The Tang dynasty monk Yijing visited Srivijaya, which was Palembang, and wrote of the country and its Buddhism. He also wrote that Malayu had "become Srivijaya" when he returned in 689.

''Chu-fan-chi''

''Ling-wai-tai-ta''

Interpretations

The established theory has concluded that Sanfotsi or Sanfoqi is identical to Srivijaya. Srivijaya was written in older Chinese sources as ''Shi-li-fo-shi'' (室利佛逝, also shortened as ''fo-shi'') which is an approximate phonetic rendering, but changed to ''San-fo-qi'' at the end of the Tang dynasty. ''San'' means "three" in Chinese, therefore the term can be read as "the three vijayas"; this has been suggested as Chinese recognition that it was not a centralized empire at some time in its history.

The name Sanfotsi continued to be used in Chinses sources after the Chola invasion. ''Ling-wai-tai-ta'' mentioned that in the years of 1079, 1082, and 1088 the country of ''Chan-pi'' (Jambi) located in ''Sanfotsi'' sent envoys to China. In the 12th century, ''Shi-li-fo-shi'' (Srivijaya) only twice sending envoys to China; 1156 and 1178. The equation of ''Shi-li-fo-shi'' (Srivijaya or Palembang) with ''Sanfotsi'' may be problematic, since ''Chu-fan-chi'' mentioned that Palembang was one of the vassal states that belongs to Sanfotsi. On the other hand, Jambi or Malayu was not mentioned as Sanfotsi's vassal. This could mean that at that time Sanfotsi was centered in Jambi or Malayu, not in Palembang. Many historians now believe that Srivijaya may no longer be the appropriate name for the overlord's centre after 1025, when Sanfotsi referred to Jambi.

Sanfotsi is also argued to be a transliteration of ''Suvarnabhumi'', which refers to Suvarnadvipa or Sumatra. In this interpretation the kingdom was Suvarnabhumi (''Sanfotsi'' or Sumatra) while the capital was shifted between Palembang (''Shi-li-fo-shi'' or Srivijaya) and Jambi (''Chan-pi'' or ''Mo-lo-yu'').

Historian Liam Kelley argues that the ''Sanfoqi'' mentioned in 14th century Chinese sources refers to Angkor in Cambodia.

Some Thai historians, such as Chand Chirayu Rajani, while agreeing with the designation of Sanfoqi with Srivijaya, argued that it refers to Chaiya in Thailand rather than Palembang.

See also

* Zabag kingdom

References

{{Precolonial states in Indonesia

Hindu Buddhist states in Indonesia
Former empires in Asia
Srivijaya
Former countries in Thai history
Former countries in Philippine history
History of the Philippines (900–1565)