The 25th Srivijaya Festival 2016 in Palembang

Reviving the grandeur of the Srivijaya Kingdom that once held suzerainty over much of South East Asia, the 25th edition of the Srivijaya Festival 2016 will again be held from 18th to 24th July 2016. This year the event  will be centered at the iconic Kuto Besak Fortress in Palembang, capital city of South Sumatra Province on the wide Musi river.

Aimed to inspire the younger generation about its roots and the grandeur of Srivijaya’s cultural and historic heritage, the festival will be highlighted with traditional cultural performances and parade, a culinary festival, a folklore theatrical competition, contemporary traditional dance competition, blog and Instagram competition, and many more exciting programs.

Palembang, the second largest town on Sumatra after Medan, was once the celebrated seat of the wealthy and powerful Srivijaya kingdom, that for more than three centuries - from the 9th to the 11th century - reigned supreme over the Sumatra seas up to and including the strategic Straits of Malacca.

Srivijaya was then known as a prosperous trade hub as well as the center for Buddhist learnings. Monks from China, India and Java used to congregate here to learn and teach the lessons of Buddha. In AD 671 Chinese chronicles wrote that the famous Chinese Buddhist monk, I Ching sojourned in Palembang for six months on his way to India.  I Ching wrote that there were more than 1,000 Buddhist monks in the city and advised Chinese monks to study Sanskrit in Palembang before proceeding to India. Later, Chinese admiral Cheng Ho, emissary of the Chinese emperor also visited Palembang in the 15th century.

Palembang is easily reached from Jakarta, Medan and other Indonesian cities and is served daily by many airlines.