Kota Gelanggi or Perbendaharaan Permata (Treasury of Jewels) is a recently discovered archaeological site that is believed to be the first capital of the Srivijaya Malay empire dating back to 650AD. The ruins are believed to be as old as Borobudur, and could pre-date Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

The discovery of a temple known as Candi Bemban and several artefacts in the area have lead to the belief of the existence of a government before the Johor-Riau-Lingga sultanate.

The site is located in the dense jungles of the Malaysian state of Johor, somewhere within a 140 square kilometre site of a forest reserve in the area surrounding Sungai Madek and Sungai Lenggiu.

The discovery was made as a result of research on Malay manuscripts and local folklore. Reference to Kota Gelanggi can also be found in the Sejarah Melayu as a city of granite structures located at the head of the Johor River. Some scholars believe this to also be the Kingdom of Lo-Yue and the first centre of trade for Srivijaya. There is also some suggestion that the city was later known as Ganggayu or Khlangkeo, which formed part of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. The city could also have been the unidentified 12th Naksat city.

The city was raided by the Indian-Chola conqueror Raja Rajendra Cholavarman I, of the South Indian Chola Dynasty in 1025AD.

External links

• Gelanggi Blog