The Arabic name "Zabag" or "Isles of Zabag" (related to the name Java) was
the generic name for the Malay archipelago : Java, Sumatra , Borneo etc. The
ruler(s) was known as the Maharaja of Zabag or the Maharaja of the Isles.
In 852 the Arab
traveller Sulayman recorded a thrilling account of how the Maharaja of Zabag
had invaded Cambodia (a.k.a the Khmer country) in the 8th century, to avenge an
insult.
This is the
account (largely based on Lawrence Palmer Briggs' The ancient Khmer empire p.67):
Khmer is
situated on the same longitude as the kingdom of the Maharaja. Between Khmer
[Cambodia] and Zabag [Java] the distance is ten to twenty days by sea,
depending on the weather.
They say that
formerly there was a Khmer king who was young and rash. One day he was sitting
in his palace which overlooked a river resembling the Tigris (from the palace
to the sea was a day's journey), and his minister was with him. He was
discussing with his minister the grandeur of the kingdom of the Maharaja of
Zabag, of its immense population, and of the large number of islands which it
comprised.
"I
have a desire', said the King, "that I should like to satisfy."
The minister who
was sincerely devoted to his sovereign, and who knew with what rashness he
often made up his mind, replied:
"What is
your Majesty's desire?"
"I wish to
see the head of the Maharaja, King of Zabag, before me on a plate."
The minister
understood that it was jealousy that had suggested this to his sovereign, and
said:
"I do not
like, your Majesty, to hear my sovereign express such a desire. The peoples of
Cambodia and Zabag have as yet shown each other no hatred, and Zabag has done
us no harm. It is a distant land, and its king has shown no wish to attack us. No-one
must hear about this desire, and it must never be repeated."
The Khmer king
was angry with his minister and, ignoring the advice of his wise and loyal
counsellor, repeated the proposal before the generals and courtiers who were
present.
The idea spread
from mouth to mouth, until it reached the knowledge of the Maharaja of Zabag
himself. The latter was an energetic and experienced monarch, who had then
reached a mature age. He called his minister and informed him of what he had
heard, adding:
"After the proposal
that this foolish Khmer king has made in public concerning a desire which is
born of his youth, I must take steps in the matter. To take no notice of these
insults would be to humble myself before him."
The King ordered
his minister to keep this conversation secret, and to go and prepare a thousand
ships of moderate size, to equip them, and to put on board arms and as many
valiant troops as possible. To explain the situation it was given out that the
Maharaja intended to make a tour among the islands of his kingdom; and he wrote
to the governors to warn them of the tour that he was going to make. The news
spread everywhere, and the governor of each island prepared to receive the
Maharaja.
When the King's
orders had been executed and the preparations were finished he embarked, and
with his fleet set sail for Cambodia. The Khmer king had no suspicion of what
was going on until the Maharaja had arrived at the river which led to the
capital and had landed his troops. These invested the capital by surprise,
surrounded the palace, and seized the King. The people fled before the
invaders. But the Maharaja proclaimed by public criers that he guaranteed the
safety of everybody; and then he seated himself on the Khmer king's throne and
ordered the captive monarch to be brought before him. He said to the Khmer
king:
"Why did
you formulate a desire which was not in your power to satisfy, which could not
have done you any good if it had been satisfied, and which would not even have
been justified if it had been possible ?"
The Khmer king
did not reply and the Maharaja continued:
"You wished
to see my head before you on a plate. If you had similarly desired to seize my
kingdom or to ravage part of it I should have done the same to Cambodia, but as
you only wished to see my head cut off I shall confine myself to subjecting you
to the same treatment, and then I shall return to my own country without taking
anything from Cambodia of value great or small. My victory will serve as a
lesson to your successors, so that no-one will be tempted in future to
undertake a task beyond his powers, or to desire more than fate has in store
for him."
He then
had the Khmer king beheaded, and, addressing the Khmer minister, said:
"I am going
to recompense you for the good that you tried to do as minister, since I know
well that you had wisely advised your master. What a pity for him that he did
not listen. Now seek somebody who can be a good king after this madman and put
him on the throne instead".
The Maharaja
left at once for his own country, and neither he nor any of his followers
took anything away from the Khmer country. When he had returned to his own
kingdom he seated himself on his throne, which looked over a lake,
and he had the Khmer king's head placed before him on a plate. Then he
called together the dignitaries of his kingdom, and told them what
had happened and why he had undertaken this expedition against
the Khmer king. On learning this the people of Zabag prayed for blessings
to be bestowed upon their ruler. The Maharaja then had the Khmer king's
head washed and embalmed, and, placing it in a vase, had it sent to the
new Khmer king, together with a letter to the following effect:
"I was
obliged to act as I did because of the hatred that the former king manifested
against me, and we have chastised him to serve as a lesson to those who might
wish to imitate him."
When the news of
these events reached the kings of India and China the Maharaja rose in their
estimation. Since that time the kings of Cambodia every morning turn their
faces towards Zabag and bow to the earth to do homage to the Maharaja.
In this account
Zabag was ruled from Java island, which from approximately mid 8th century till
mid 9th century housed the most powerful and prosperous kingdom of the
archipelago (the socalled Sailendra or Mataram kingdom). The main points in the
story, a Javanese invasion and a period of Cambodian vassalage to Java in the
late 8th century), are confirmed by Khmer inscriptions and a Javanese chronicle.
Anyhow, do you
think the Maharaja over-reacted ?
References:
Lawrence Palmer
Briggs. 1991. The ancient Khmer Empire.