Indonesia has a rich and diverse history that has been shaped by various factors, including geographic position, natural resources, human migrations, wars of conquest, and the spread of religion. The history of Indonesia can be divided into precolonial and colonial periods. In the precolonial history of Indonesia, indigenous kingdoms were influenced by the arrival of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. The Indonesian archipelago saw the rise of Hindu-Buddhist empires of Sumatra and Java, and one of the first organized states to achieve fame was the Buddhist Malay kingdom of Srivijaya, with its capital at Palembang in southern Sumatra. The Srivijaya Empire controlled modern-day Indonesia and much of the Malay Archipelago from the seventh to twelfth centuries. The empire traded extensively with India and China, incorporating Buddhist and Chinese political practices into their traditions.

Around the 1st century CE, when the Indonesian shadow puppetry tradition is believed to have been introduced, the political history of the Indonesian archipelago was dominated by Srivijaya based in Sumatra and Sailendra that dominated southeast Asia based in Java and constructed Borobudur, the largest Buddhist monument in the world. The existence and availability of written sources is what separates history from prehistory. As few written sources dating from before 500 AD have been preserved, the history of present Indonesia starts rather late. It is assumed that most writings were done on perishable material and — in combination — old political structures as both literature and the construction of temples were samples of high culture reserved for the ruling elites. A remarkable matter related to the earliest history of Indonesia is that it generally centers on the western part of the archipelago (in particular on the islands of Sumatra and Java).

As for the technology, there is no specific information about the technology used in Indonesia around the 1st century CE. However, the Srivijaya Empire, which controlled modern-day Indonesia and much of the Malay Archipelago from the seventh to twelfth centuries, traded extensively with India and China, incorporating Buddhist and Chinese political practices into their traditions. The gamelan orchestra is comprised of between 20 and 40 musicians and is made up of bronze instruments — gongs, metalaphones, strings, and vocals. It is one of the great art forms as it combines ancient music, dance, and theater.
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