Pre-history South Sumatra has been settled by humans since the
Palaeolithic era. The evidence of those settlements is proven by discoveries of Palaeolithic tools in the riverbed of Saling and Kikim rivers in Bungamas Village,
Lahat Regency and Seventy-eight skeletons dating back to 3,000–14,000 years ago, presumably of Austronesian and Austromelanesoid origins was excavated from the site of Harimau Cave in Padang Bindu Village,
Ogan Komering Ulu Regency. Relics of seven stone chambers believed to be about 2,500 years old were found near a coffee plantation in Kotaraya Lembak,
Lahat Regency.
Srivijaya Around 7th century AD, an ancient
Buddhist kingdom of
Srivijaya was established in an area that's now Palembang. This kingdom became the center of trade and was a maritime power, but this kingdom did not expand its power outside the islands of
Southeast Asia, with the exception of contributing to the population of
Madagascar as far as 3,300 miles west. Some experts are still debating the area that was the center of the Srivijaya Kingdom. It was likely that the kingdom used to move its administrative center, but the capital remained directly governed by the authorities, while the supporting areas were governed by the local
datuk. In the 7th century, the Chinese noted that there were two kingdoms namely
Malayu and
Kedah that were part of the Srivijaya empire. The Srivijaya empire had existed since 671 according to the notes of the
Chinese Buddhist monk Yijing. From the Kedukan Bukit inscription in 682, this empire became known under the leadership of
Dapunta Hyang. That he departed on the
siddhayatra holy journey to "take blessings", and led 20,000 soldiers and 312 people on board with 1,312 soldiers on foot from Minanga Tamwan to
Jambi and
Palembang. The Kedukan Bukit Inscription is reputed to be the oldest inscription written in
Malay. Experts argue that the writer of this inscription adapted Indian orthography. Based on the
Kota Kapur Inscription dated from 686 CE that is found on the island of
Bangka, this empire has dominated the southern part of Sumatra, the islands of Bangka and
Belitung, to
Lampung. This inscription also mentions that Emperor
Sri Jayanasa launched a military expedition to punish the
Bhumi Jawa kingdom who were not loyal to Srivijaya, this event coincided with the collapse of
Tarumanagara in
West Java and
Holing (
Kalingga) in
Central Java, which was most likely due to Sriwijaya's attack. It is also possible that the Bhumi Jawa kingdom mentioned in the inscription is referring to the Kingdom of Tarumanegara. Srivijaya continued to grow and succeeded in controlling the maritime trade routes in the
Straits of Malacca, the
Sunda Strait, the
South China Sea, the
Java Sea and the
Karimata Strait. The expansion of this kingdom into
Java and the
Malay Peninsula, allowed Srivijaya to control the main trade routes in Southeast Asia. Archeologist found the ruins of Srivijaya temples as far as
Thailand and
Cambodia. In the 7th century, the port of
Champa in eastern
Indochina began to divert traders from Srivijaya. To prevent this, Maharaja
Dharmasetu launched several attacks on coastal cities in Indochina. The city of
Indrapura on the banks of the
Mekong river was captured by Srivijaya in the early 8th century. Srivijaya continued its domination of Cambodia, until the Khmer king
Jayawarman II, founder of the
Khmer Empire, severed ties with Srivijaya in the same century. Another note from a Persian expert named Abu Zaid Hasan who received information from Sujaimana, an Arab trader, that the empire was well-advanced in the field of agriculture. Abu Zaid wrote that the kingdom of
Zabaj (another Arabic name for Srivijaya) had fertile land and extensive power to the other side of the sea. Srivijaya controlled the maritime trade route in Southeast Asia throughout the 10th century, but at the end of the century the
Kingdom of Medang in
East Java grew into a new maritime force and began to challenge the dominance of Srivijaya. The Chinese news from the
Song dynasty called the Srivijaya Kingdom in Sumatra the name
San-fo-tsi, while the Kingdom of Medang in Java by the name
She-po. It is said that
San-fo-tsi and
She-po were involved in competition for control of Southeast Asia. Both countries sent ambassadors to each other to China. The
San-fo-tsi ambassador who departed in 988 was held in
Canton when he returned, because his country was attacked by Javanese troops. This attack from Java allegedly took place around the 990s, between 988 and 992 during the reign of Sri
Cudamani Warmadewa. dating from the 7th century AD The kingdom of Medang succeeded in capturing
Palembang in 992 for a while, but later the Medang forces were successfully repelled by Srivijaya forces. The
Hujung Langit inscription of 997 mentions a Javanese attack on Sumatra. This series of attacks from Java ultimately failed because Java failed to establish a foothold in Sumatra. Capturing the capital city of Palembang was not enough because the Sriwijaya spread itself in several port cities in the
Malacca Strait. The Srivijaya emperor, Sri
Cudamani Warmadewa, escaped out of the capital and traveled around regaining its strength and reinforcements from his allies and subordinate kings and succeeded in repelling the Javanese navy. In 1025, the empire was defeated by the
Chola Empire (during the period of Emperor
Rajendra Chola I) of southern
India. The Chola Empire had conquered the Srivijaya colonies, such as the
Nicobar Islands region and at the same time succeeded in capturing the ruling Srivijaya king
Sangrama Vijayatunggavarman. During the following decades, the entire Sriwijaya empire was under the influence of the Chola dynasty. Rajendra Chola I gave the opportunity to the kings he conquered to remain in power while remaining subservient to him. Srivijaya's capital eventually moved northward to Jambi. This can be attributed to the news of the ''San-fo-ts'i'' delegation to China in 1028. Another factor in Sriwijaya's decline was natural factors. Because of the sedimentation of mud on the
Musi River and several other tributaries, the merchant ships arriving in Palembang diminished. As a result, the city of Palembang is getting away from the sea and not being strategic. As a result of the coming of the merchant ship, the tax decreased and weakened the economy and position of Sriwijaya. According to the Chinese
Song dynasty book
Zhu Fan Zhi, written around 1225 by
Zhao Rugua, the two most powerful and richest kingdoms in the
Southeast Asian archipelago were Srivijaya and
Java (
Kediri), with the western part (Sumatra, the Malay peninsula, and western Java/
Sunda) under Srivijaya's rule and the eastern part under Kediri's domination. It said that the people in Java followed two religions,
Buddhism and the religion of
Brahmins (
Hinduism), while the people of Srivijaya followed Buddhism. The book described the people of Java as being brave, short-tempered and willing to fight. It also noted their favourite pastimes as
cockfighting and pig fighting. The coin used as the currency were made from a mixture of
copper,
silver, and
tin. Srivijaya remained a formidable sea power until the 13th century. However, there was a power vacuum in the region since there was no prominent power to hold the region except for the waning
Majapahit Empire, centered on Java island. The vacuum allowed pirates to flourish in the region. After being conquered by the Majapahit in 1375 AD, the Palembang region was made a vassal of the Majapahit Empire, under the leadership of
Hayam Wuruk. The government in Palembang was handed over to a regent who was appointed directly by the Majapahit. However, internal problems in the Majapahit Empire distracted them from the conquered territories, causing the Palembang region to be controlled by traders from China until the Majapahit regained control of Palembang after sending a commander named Arya Damar.
Palembang Sultanate of Palembang led a revolt against the Dutch in the 19th century. Ultimately, he was defeated and exiled to
the Moluccas. Today he is commemorated as the
national hero of Indonesia. By the late 15th century,
Islam has spread throughout the region, replacing Buddhism and Hinduism as the dominant religion. Around the early 16th century,
Tomé Pires, an adventurer from
Portugal, said that Palembang had been led by an appointed
patih (regent) from Java who was later referred to the
Demak Sultanate and participated in attacking
Malacca, which at that time had been controlled by the
Portuguese. In 1659, Sri Susuhunan Abdurrahman proclaimed the establishment of the
Palembang Sultanate. The Sultanate of Palembang stood for almost two centuries, from 1659 to 1825. Sultan Ratu Abdurrahman Kholifatul Mukminin Sayidul Iman, or Sunan Cinde Walang, was the first king of the Sultanate of Palembang. The reign of Sultan Muhammad Bahauddin (1776–1803) was known as the golden era of the Palembang Sultanate, the sultanate's economy increased sharply because of trade, including with the
VOC. The VOC was upset with Sultan Bahauddin's trade monopoly which caused their contracts to be rejected often. Sultan Bahauddin preferred to trade with
Britain,
China and
Malay people in
Riau. The impact of the policy generated enormous wealth for the empire. The Palembang Sultanate was strategically located in conducting trade relations, especially spices with outside parties. The Palembang Sultanate also ruled over the
Bangka-Belitung islands which had a tin mine and had been traded since the 18th century. As the Dutch East India Company increased its influence in the region, the Sultanate started to decline and lost its power. During
Napoleonic Wars in 1812, the sultan at the time,
Mahmud Badaruddin II rejected British claims to suzerainty. The British, under
Stamford Raffles responded by attacking Palembang, sacking the court, and installing sultan's more cooperative younger brother, Najamuddin to the throne. The Dutch attempted to recover their influence at the court in 1816, but Sultan Najamuddin was uncooperative with them. An expedition launched by the Dutch in 1818 and captured Sultan Najamudin and exiled him to
Batavia. A Dutch garrison was established in 1821, but sultan attempted an attack and a mass poisoning to the garrison, which were intervened by the Dutch. Mahmud Badaruddin II was exiled to
Ternate, and his palace was burned to the ground. The Sultanate was later abolished by the Dutch and direct colonial rule was established.
Japanese occupation and independence Southern Sumatra was occupied by the Japanese on January 15, 1942, after the
Battle of Palembang in
World War II. After the
Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, South Sumatra became a part of Sumatra Province as a
residency with
Adnan Kapau Gani as the resident. On 1 January 1947, the Dutch tried to regain its sovereignty over South Sumatra by invading Palembang and fighting ensued across South Sumatra until Indonesia's independence was
recognized by the Dutch on 27 December 1949. The area occupied by the Netherlands in South Sumatra was incorporated into
State of South Sumatra under the
United States of Indonesia until the disbandment of the union and the founding of the republic.
Post-independence division of the province On 12 September 1950, South Sumatra province was established with a territory much larger than it is today, as it encompassed the southern third of
Sumatra island covering areas that were eventually formed into separate provinces:
Lampung was carved from the southern part of the province on 18 March 1964,
Bengkulu from the coastal western part of the province on 18 November 1968, and
Bangka Belitung on 4 December 2000. ==Geography==