Fact #8: The Srivijayan & Majapahit Empires Were Only Custodians of the Ophir's Gold

8. The nation's treasury of the Maharlikan people were so abundant that when under the Srivijayan-Majapahit Empire these were accumulated and taken as part of the empires’ treasury being the custodians of the wealth meant (only) for the Maharlikan nation.

In the previous topics, three facts were established: 1) the location of the land called Ophir (of the Maharlikan people) where King Solomon obtained gold points to no other place than the present-day Philippine Archipelago; 2) gold was so abundant in the land of Ophir during those days, and; 3) the Maharlikan people in the land of Ophir were in trade relations with other kingdoms and nations.

Prior to the Moslem's invasions of the Malayan Peninsula, in the 15^th century, the Majapahit Empire had already commercially controlled most part of the Maharlikan archipelago due to the latter’s having no central governance to unify the nation and no central forces to resist the impending occupation. It was an easy integration process on the part of the empire as there was no opposition at all. That condition of no central rulership had convinced them that the Maharlikan archipelago is a territory belonging to the Majapahit.

But owing to the unceasing incursions of the Moslems in the Malaya Peninsula between 1470's to 1520's establishing their sultanate governance and the Sharia Law in the region, the Majapahit Empire slowly disintegrated forcing its remaining central government to gradually moved from Java to Bali (Indonesia). And from there, a large number of courtiers, artisans, priests, and members of the royal family together with the huge amount of their treasury finally transferred to the Maharlikan archipelago in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (North Borneo).

There, in the Maharlikan archipelago the reigning royal family remained undisturbed for two centuries. With that reason, among others, as the reigning family continues, the treasures and natural resources were mined and accumulated into their treasury for the sustenance of the newly established kingdom. Gold was so abundant in the land that by shifting alone on the riverbeds anyone can find a gold nugget even as big as egg or walnut. Citing from the article Gold of Ancestors: Ayala Museum's Greatest Treasures written by Emmie V. Abadilla in 2014, she said, "Masters and slaves wore gold in their daily lives. Even the lowest of the low slaves wore gold ornaments. The country overflowed with gold in those days." It was no surprise why the Majapahit Empire was the richest kingdom in the world when it had controlled the Maharlikan archipelago. The same reason is also attributed to the legendary King Solomon’s temple made of gold that were mined from the land of Ophir.

Fact #7: The Hindu-Buddhist Kingdoms of Srivijaya & Majapahit Were Aware of the Ophir's Gold

7. From the Prehistoric Indonesia to the Salakanagara Kingdom through the Srivijayan to Majapahit Kingdom they were aware of the golden age in the history of the Maharlikan people. They themselves inclined to believe they were also descendants of the Maharlikans so they adopted almost everything pertaining the Maharlikan civilization.

Prior to the advent of civilizations and kingdoms in the Indonesian Region and the Malay Peninsula, and prior to the integration of this Pre-Spanish Maharlikan (Ophir) territory to the Srivijayan Empire, this land and its people were already known to the westerners and nearby territories: to the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs and the Hebrews by the names they gave on it. It was not clear however how the name Ophir came to the limelight. But the first mentioned of Ophir was in Genesis 10, as one of the 13 sons of Joktan, the son of Eber. Another mention of the name  Ophir was at the time of King Solomon where according to the book of Kings was a land afar in the east where the "wise king" imported golds and almug (algum) woods by the ships for the completion of the Solomon's Temple.

The true location of Ophir was documented in a book found in Spain entitled "Collecion General de Documentos Relativos a las Islas Filipinas". Document No. 98 of the said book dated 1519-1522 described in details how the land of Ophir can be found:

"Ophir can be found by travelling from the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, to India, to Burma, to Sumatra, to Moluccas, to Borneo, to Sulu, to China, then finally to Ophir." Ophir was said to be "[...] in front of China towards the sea, of many islands where the Moluccans, Chinese, and Lequios met to trade..."

Jes Tirol asserts that this group of islands could not be Japan because the Moluccans did not get there, nor Taiwan, since it is not composed of "many islands." Only the present-day Philippines, he says, could fit the description. Spanish records also mention the Lequious (big, bearded white men, probably descendants of the Phoenicians, whose ships were always laden with gold and silver) in the islands to gather gold and silver. Other evidence has also been pointed out suggesting that the Philippines was the biblical Ophir.

This factual information about Ophir (Maharlika) and its abundance of gold surely did cause interest not only to the westerners but also to the neighboring kingdoms, such that of Indonesia and Sumatra. That being said, this Maharlikan territory was assimilated, by all means, to the thalassocratic city-state of Srivijaya, a Hindu-Buddhist kingdom, with the belief and admiration that Ophir was a place and a civilization from where there forebears came.

By the 15th century, the Maharajahs of the Majapahit Empire transplanted to the Kingdom of Maharlika.[1]