Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c43.9

c43.9

But whatever the process which brought about the extension of the Indian religions and much of the social structure of its people eastwards, its force was great and its results even greater. So much so that it was sufficient to inspire at least two races, the Khmers of Cambodia, and the inhabitants of Java, to produce monuments consecrated to the Indian religions and in the Indian tradition, which exceed in size and magnificence anything of a similar order in the land of India itself Of these two countries, Java being an island, the building art for which it became famed, was limited by its geographical boundaries, so that its effect on the architecture of this region as a whole was restricted. But the country of Cambodia, lying on the mainland, the influence of the Khmer style of architecture extended over the entire peninsula of Indo-China and even beyond. The historical progress of the building art of the Khmers, having wider implications, will accordingly be dealt with first.