Page "Srivijaya" Paragraph 44

According to various historical sources, a complex and cosmopolitan society with a refined culture, deeply influenced by Vajrayana Buddhism, flourished in the Srivijayan capital.

The 7th century Talang Tuwo inscription described Buddhist rituals and blessings at the auspicious event of establishing public park.

The Telaga Batu inscription testifies to the complexity and stratified titles of Srivijayan state officials, while the Kota Kapur Inscription mentions Srivijaya military dominance against Java.

These inscriptions were in the Old Malay language, the language used by Srivijayan and also the ancestor of Malay and Indonesian language.

Since the 7th century, the Old Malay language has been used in Nusantara ( Malay-Indonesian archipelago ), marked by these Srivijaya inscriptions and other inscriptions using old Malay language in coastal areas of the archipelago, such as those discovered in Java.

The trade contact carried by some ethnics at the time was the main vehicle to spread Malay language, since it was the communication device amongst the traders.

By then, Malay language become lingua franca and was spoken widely by most people in the archipelago.