There are different theories for the origin of the word
Melayu ('Malay'). One theory suggests that it is derived from the
Javanese terms
melayu or
mlayu (to steadily accelerate or to run), to describe the strong current of a river in
Sumatra that today bears the name
Sungai Melayu ('Melayu river') which is the right branch going upriver of
Batang Hari whose watershed reaches
Pagarruyung. The name was later possibly adopted by the Melayu Kingdom, as it is common for people in the region to be known by the name of the river on which they settled. shows the
Barisan Mountains running from north to the south. Another theory holds that it originated from the
Tamil words
Malay and
ur meaning "mountain or cave" and "city, land", respectively. It could possibly referred to
Barisan Mountains, the mountain range in Sumatra. An early literary appearance can be found in chapter 48,
Vayu Purana, where the word "Malayadvipa", which means "mountainous island", is described as one of the provinces in the eastern sea that was full of gold and silver. Some scholars equate the term with Sumatra, but several
Indian scholars believe the term may refer to the
Malay Peninsula, which is evidence in the formation of Titiwangsa range that runs down the length of Peninsular Malaysia. The area around this mountainous range is known to be rich with gold mineralization, which befits the description of Malayadvipa. Then, the term "Maleu-Kolon" was used in
Ptolemy's
Geographia which is believed to have originated from the
Tamil term
malayakolam or
malaikurram, referring to a geographical part of peninsula. In 7th century, the first use of the term for a nation or a kingdom was recorded by
Yijing. The East Javanese
Anjukladang inscription, dated from 937 CE in
Mataram kingdom, stated that the
Sima status was awarded to the Anjukladang village and a
jayastambha (victory monument) was later upgraded to a temple, the monument was erected in recognition of their service on repelling the invading forces from
Malayu. The temple mentioned here is probably the Candi Lor (made of bricks and now in ruins) located in Candirejo village in
Nganjuk Regency. The mentioning of invading
Malayu forces refers to the old term "Sumatran Malayu Kingdom", which probably refers to
Srivijaya. This means that by the 10th century, the
Javanese identified their Sumatra-based enemy as "Malayu" or at least the "Malay soldiers of Srivijaya". An inscription on the south wall of the 11th century
Brihadeeswarar Temple also made a reference to
Malaiyur, a kingdom that had "a strong mountain for its rampart" during the
Chola invasion of Srivijaya period. This referred to
Chola invaders during
Rajendra Chola I's campaign. In the later
Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) and
Ming dynasty (1368–1644), the word
Ma-La-Yu was mentioned often in
Chinese historical texts — with changes in spelling due to the time span between the dynasties — to refer to a nation near the southern sea. Among the terms used was "Bok-la-yu", "Mok-la-yu" (木剌由), Ma-li-yu-er (麻里予兒), Oo-lai-yu (巫来由 — traced from the written source of monk
Xuanzang), and Wu-lai-yu (無来由). In the chronicle of Yuan dynasty, the word "Ma-li-yu-er" was mentioned in describing the
Sukhothai's southward expansion against Malayu: In response to the Sukhothai's move, a
Chinese envoy arrived at the
Ram Khamhaeng's court in 1295 bearing an imperial order: "Keep your promise and do no evil to Ma-li-yu-er". This nation of "Ma-li-yu-er" that appeared in the
Chinese record may also be the nation that was mentioned by the
Venetian traveller
Marco Polo (1254–1324) who lived during the same period. In
The Travels of Marco Polo, he made a reference to a kingdom named "Malauir" in the Malay peninsula. The word
bhūmi Mālayu (literally "Land of Malayu") is inscribed on the
Padang Roco Inscription, dated 1286, according to the inscription,
bhūmi Mālayu is associated with the
Dharmasraya kingdom. On the
Amoghapasa inscription, dated 1347, the word
Malayapura (literally "city of Malaya" or "kingdom of Malaya") was proclaimed by
Adityawarman, again referring to
Dharmasraya. The word "Melayu" is also mentioned in the
Malay annals referring to a river in
Sumatra: For some time, the Melayu kingdom was identified by the Chinese as the successor to Srivijaya. As indicated when
Sanfoqi sent a mission to China in 1028, but this would actually refer to Malayu-Jambi, not Srivijaya-Palembang. In the following centuries, Chinese chronicles still refer to
Sanfoqi, but this term probably refers to the Malayu-Jambi kingdom. The last
epigraphic evidence that mentions the word Srivijaya comes from the Tanjore inscription of the Chola kingdom in 1030 or 1031. == History ==