via The Week, 17 December 2020: An Indian view of the 11th century raid by the Chola Empire into Srivijaya which led to the downfall of the Sailendra Dynasty and Srivijaya’s control of the oceans.
It was probably India’s first surgical strike. In 1025 CE, Chola emperor Rajendra I changed the course of the subcontinent’s history and became the first Indian to raid an overseas territory. His navy made a stealth attack on the Srivijaya empire—now in Sumatra, Indonesia—and raided its 14 ports.
The strike took Srivijaya by surprise. Ships carrying elephants and flamethrowers sailed swiftly into Sumatra, making use of the monsoon winds. They first ransacked the capital city of Palembang and then moved on to other ports. King Sangrama Vijayatunggavarman was imprisoned. According to the Malay version of the story, Rajendra I took Vijayatunggavarman’s daughter Onang Ki as his wife.
The attack on Srivijaya is now being interpreted as a geostrategic manoeuvre. While it is commonly believed that Rajendra I crossed the sea as part of his desire to push the boundaries of his empire further, new research by historian Tansen Sen suggests that the attack was a pre-emptive strike with a commercial motive, aimed at averting a trade war.
Source: Lord of the ocean – The Week
