Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East (Vol. I: Champa; Vol. II: Suvarnadvipa) v2.c13.41

v2.c13.41

There were important ports on the opposite coast also. In the Malay Peninsula we have reference to Takkola in classical writings, to Kala by Arab writers and to Singapore and Malacca by the Portuguese. In Sumatra the most important port was Śri-Vijaya. Others will be referred to in due course. On the whole, therefore, we can easily visualise Malayasia as a fairly extensive region between the continents of Asia and Australia, enjoying peculiar advantages of trade and commerce, both by its geographical position as well as by its native products. From a very early period it had intercourse with China on the north, Australia and the Pacific islands on the south and east, and India and various islands in the Indian ocean on the west. It was more intimately connected with Burma and Indo-China on the north, as their inhabitants were allied to its own.