Penuturan Kronik China tentang Kerajaan di Sumatera

' The kingdom of San-bo-tsai is that of the southern barbarians. It is situated between Cambodja (Chen-la) and Java (She-p'o), and rules over fifteen different states. Its products are rattan, red kino, lignum-aloes, areca-nuts (pin-lang), and cocoa-nuts. They use no copper cash, but their custom is to trade in all kinds of things with gold and silver. The weather is mostly hot, and in winter they have no frost or snow. The people rub their bodies with fragrant oil. This country does not produce barley, but they have rice, and yellow and green peas. They make wine from flowers, cocoa-nuts, pin-lang or honey 3 . They write with Sanskrit 4 characters, and the king uses his finger-ring as a seal ; they know also Chinese characters; in sending tributes (to China) they write with them. With a favourable wind the distance from this country to Kwang-tung (Canton) is twenty days. Many family names there are " P'u." In 960, the king Shih-li-ku- ta-hia-li-tan 5 sent tribute to China. In 992, this country was invaded by Java.

In 1003, two envoys from San-bo-tsai related that a Buddhist temple was erected in order to pray for the long life of the Chinese emperor, and the emperor gave to that temple a name and a bell specially cast for the purpose. In 1017, an envoy from thence brought bundles of Sanskrit books, folded between boards.

In 1082, three envoys came to have an audience of the emperor, and presented
lotus-flowers of gold 6 (Chin-lien-hua) containing pearls, ca?nphor-baros, and sa-tien.'

Sumber

Fakhruddin Ibnu Burhan