langkawi magazine

Culture SECTION

Hindu Kingdoms 100 BC - 1400 AD

Blown across the Bay of Bengal by the reliable winds of the southwest monsoon, they arrived in Kedah sometime around 100 BC. Whether or not the civilization they encountered there was the one from the ancient chronicles will probably never be known, but it is certain that the sailors considered the trip lucrative. From that point on, and ever-growing stream of Indian traders arrived in search of gold, aromatic wood, and spices.

Goods were not the only items exchanged in the peninsula`s ports: the Indians also brought a pervasive culture. Hinduism and Buddhism swept through the land, bringing temples and Indian cultural traditions. Local kings, who sent emissaries to the subcontinent, were impressed by the efficiency of the Hindu courts, and soon began to refer to themselves as ``rajahs.`` They integrated what they considered the best Indian governmental traditions with the existing structure, and historians typically refer to these kingdoms as ``Indianised kingdoms.`` Today, the most visible example of the early Indian influence is in the Malay wedding ceremony, which is very similar that of the subcontinent.

Malaysia 2002