The king was very rich and powerful. In fact, the people of Srivijaya may have thought that he had divine powers, like a god. However, he probably did not have direct control over towns and cities that were located far away. While the king controlled his own city directly, other cities were probably controlled by local leaders. The king awarded local leaders who obeyed him, and punished the ones who did not. He was able to use his powerful navy to keep local leaders under his thumb (to control them).