Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East (Vol. I: Champa; Vol. II: Suvarnadvipa) v2.c20.s6.1

v2.c20.s6.1

In the last chapter of Book I we have described in a broad outline how the religious systems of India—both Brāhmanical and Buddhist—were spread in Malayasia and took deep root in its soil even during the early period of Hindu colonisation. As centuries rolled by, the Indian religions made a more thorough conquest of the land, and it would hardly be an exaggeration to say that so far as faiths, beliefs and religious practices are concerned, the colonies in the Far East were almost a replica of the motherland. Of course, we should not expect that the indigenous faiths and practices vanished altogether. As in India itself, these were partly eliminated by, and partly absorbed into the higher and more developed system, but in some respects the latter also was affected and moulded by the former.