South Sumatra Tourism
One of the greatest kingdoms in Indonesian history, the Buddhist Empire of Sriwijaya,
prospered along the banks of Musi River in South Sumatra over a thousand years
ago. Located on the southern-most rim of the South China Sea, close to the one
of the world's busiest shipping lanes linking the Far East with Europe, the
Region's historical background is rich and colourful. The Sriwijaya kingdom
practised a bustling and incrative trade with ancient China during its era of
powerful dynasties. In 672 the Chinese scholar, I Tsing, recorded that a thousand
monks and scholars could be seen translating and studying Sanskrit in Palembang.
Few relics of this memorable are remain. Stretching from the foothills of the
mighty Bukit Barisan mountain range, this province is relatively flat but very
fertile, with numerous rivers cutting across the landscape and meandering their
way to the sea. Coffee and tea plantations are scattered across the province,
but area's enormous wealth comes from oil, natural gas, coal, tin and quartz
reserves.
South Sumatra is famous for Songket wearing which are made of silk thread combined
with gold thread. Palembang also famous for its wood carving motifs which are
influenced by the chinese and Buddhist. The carving are dominated by decorations
in the form of jasmine flower and lotus that can be seen in the furnitures and
lacquers. Palembang's famous fruits are pineaple and duku (Lansium domisticum).
Getting there:
Many domestic Airlines serve to Palembang. Garuda Indonesia Airlines serve flight
from Osaka, Tokyo, Jeddah, Riyadh, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Singapore and Perth
as well as major cities in Indonesia to Palembang.
Air Conditiined buses from Java and Sumatra also available.
Places to Visit in Indonesia