Ilangasokam (Langkasuka)

The 11th-century place-name 'Ilangasokam' named in Rajendra Chola I's 1025 CE Tanjore inscription as one of the Southeast Asian cities taken in his naval raid, generally identified with the Malay kingdom of Langkasuka on the north-eastern Malay peninsula (around modern Pattani and Yala provinces of southern Thailand). Chinese Liang-shu records of the 6th century describe Langkasuka as a Hinduised Malay state with Buddhist and Shaiva institutions. The 1025 Chola raid broke the Shrivijayan vassalage of Langkasuka. The modern identification remains debated — alternative candidates include the Kedah region. The 7th-century Pattani archaeological zone preserves Hindu-Buddhist bronze figures consistent with the Langkasuka attribution.