Ancient Indian Colonization in South-East Asia c11.18

c11.18

I have made a long digression for considering the views of Mr. Wales as these represent the latest phase of a tendency to minimise the part played by the Hindus in the cultural evolution of South-east Asia. It has led to many theories which seek to revolutionize our whole conception of the culture and civilization of South-east Asia on extremely insufficient grounds. The common factor among them is an attempt to trace the origin of the culture of South-east Asia to all possible and impossible sources, other than Indian, and the impatient search for the true home of this culture covers a wide region from China to Egypt. If an Indian opposes these views it will probably be discredited as emanating from narrow parochial views. But even at the risk of such criticism I must raise my voice of protest against this growing tendency. The prehistoric period of human culture has been sadly neglected in the past, but now the pendulum has swung to the opposite extreme, and almost everything of value is traced to prehistoric culture. We must try to recover the balance before it is too late. It is true that the theories are put forward as merely provisional and tentative, but if constantly repeated without challenge, they are likely to be gradually regarded as historical truths.