[1][2]: 43 He was originally a local official of Xianglin (Tượng Lâm), then under the rule of the Chinese Eastern Han dynasty.
He is known in Chinese records as Ōu Lián (甌連), or Zhulian, which in Vietnamese pronunciation is Khu Liên (chữ Hán: 區連).
Attempts have also been made to identify Sri Mara with Fan Shiman (范師蔓) of Funan (circa 230 CE).
[6] He was born in Tượng Lâm (Vietnamese pronunciation of Chinese 象林, in what is today Thừa Thiên Huế province in Central Vietnam) an area of tension between the Han dynasty and the natives of Lâm Ấp (Vietnamese pronunciation of Chinese Lin Yi 林邑, the precursor to Champa).
In 137 or 192 AD,[7] he led thousands of Chams to defeate the Chinese prefect[8] and declared himself King of Lâm Ấp.