Location
Although geographic location of Holing has been never mentioned in the reports of the pilgrims who had visited the kingdom, there are several reasons that suggest a location on Thai southern coast, which is precisely where the Greek astronomer Claudius Ptolemy said that the main port city of Takola Emporium was located during the first century.
References to the Tang's Chronicles (618-907), at Holing on the day of the summer solstice (June), an eight-foot vertical stake of sundial would cast a shadow that was around two feet long at the time of local noon that fell to the south side of the stake. By this information some scholars can determine that Holing was located at the latitude of 6 degrees, 8 minutes north. The only part of Southeast Asia that reaches this particular latitude is located in the central part of southern Thailand above the Equator.
In 671, the Chinese eminent monk I-Tsing had a journey to seek the Pali Canon in India. After sailing for twenty days, his ship arrived in Fo-Shih, the capital of Srivijaya Buddhist kingdom, where he "...landed and stayed six months, gradually learning the Sanskrit grammar. The king gave me some support and sent me to the country of Moloyu ...."
According to his record, Holing and Foshih were on nearly the same latitude but Holing was due east of the city of Foshih at a distance that could be spanned by a four- or five-day journey by sea while Moloyu was at a distance of fifteen-day journey by sea and had a location near to the Equator.
Tambralinga was mentioned again in Tanjore inscription stone. At Brihadisvara temple in Thanjavur, the ancient city of Tanjore in Tamil Nadu are inscriptions dating from 1030 which mentions the victory of Rajendra Chola I over the Southeastern countries of Srivijaya kingdom. The countries that Rajendra Chola I conquered were 13 countries including Madamalingam (or Tambralingam).
This inscription mentions the name of Srivisayam as the capital of the kingdom and Mevilimbangam (assumed Palembang) is another city. From Jue-Tang-Chu and Sin-Tang-chu chronicles in Ming period (1368-1644) described the location of San-Fo-Shih (Srivijaya) that "the west bordering To-Po-Teng, the north bordering Chen-La, the south bordering To-Mo-Sang island and east bordering Po-Li or Ma-Li".
The boundary of this country is explained as follow:
| Direction | Country |
|---|---|
| North to Chen-La | Chenla is known as ancient Khmer Empire. |
| East to Po-Li or Ma-Li | Poli or Poling, Mali or Maling - Danmaling is known as Tambralinga or Nakorn Sri Dharmaraj. |
| West to To-Po-Teng | Topoteng is known as Thap Thiang, one of Tambons (subdistrict) in Trang, southern Thailand. |
| South to To-Mo-Sang Island | Tomosang is known as Temasek or Singapore in fourteenth century. |
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