Srivijaya's Sandalwood Flower Coin: The Empire's Currency Empire

In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the economic backbone of the Srivijaya Empire: its unique sandalwood flower coinage. These gold and silver 'mas krisna' coins, stamped with a distinctive sandalwood flower motif, were not just currency but instruments of economic control and cultural influence across Southeast Asia. Drawing on archaeological finds from Gunung Wingko and Chinese records from Zhao Rugua's 'Zhufan Zhi', the hosts uncover how Srivijaya's monetary system facilitated trade from the Strait of Malacca to the spice islands of Maluku. They discuss the mysterious 'hill of coins' at Gunung Wingko, the role of the Orang Laut in safeguarding bullion routes, and the empire's sophisticated use of coinage to standardize transactions and project power. The episode also touches on the decline of Srivijaya's currency as the Chola invasion and later Majapahit expansion disrupted trade networks. Specific topics include the sandalwood flower motif's symbolism, the use of gold and silver denominations, and comparisons with contemporary Tang dynasty cash coins and Indian punch-marked coins. This is a deep dive into the fiscal history of a maritime empire that left little written record but a wealth of metallic evidence. #Srivijaya #Coinage #SandalwoodFlowerCoin #MasKrisna #GunungWingko #ZhaoRugua #ZhufanZhi #OrangLaut #StraitOfMalacca #EconomicHistory #Numismatics #SoutheastAsia #Palembang #Sailendra #TangDynasty #Maluku #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo