Ancient Indian Colonization in South-East Asia c7.35

c7.35

Two or three Indian vessels sailing together reach a coastal town. The new-comers ingratiate themselves into the favour of the local chiefs by costly or curious presents, their real or pretended knowledge of healing arts, and also magical powers to prevent illness or drive away evil spirits. Some of them assume lofty airs as belonging to royal or noble family and possessing immense wealth. All these highly impress the ruling chief as well as the common people who look upon the Hindus as people of superior race. The latter settle down among them, learn their language and marry the local girls. The leaders of the new immigrants naturally select the daughters of the chiefs or at least girls of high family. These wives are soon initiated into the religious and moral ideas and beliefs and social customs of their husbands and become instrumental in spreading them among the indigenous people. It is almost a universal law that when a higher and a lower type of culture come into close contact, the latter yields to the former. The native wives of the Indians become the best missionaries for the propagation of Hindu religion and culture. Gradually the new culture spreads from the coastal region to the interior, and from one locality to another. Ultimately, either the king adopts the Hindu faith, or some Hindu immigrant succeeds in winning his favour and marries into royal family, thus assuring the complete triumph of Hindu culture. In some cases the Hindu immigrants, backed by support of Hinduized natives, take advantage of changing political situations to seize the royal power. To explain satisfactorily the thorough-going conquest of Hindu culture in all aspects of life, we must assume that the Hindu immigrants included not only merchants, but also Brāhmaṇas and Kṣatriyas, as well as people following different arts and crafts. It is not necessary to suppose that they all came together; it is more likely that they represent successive waves of immigration from India, each being encouraged by the good reports about the new settlements carried by the returning emigrants. For we must suppose that all the original emigrants did not settle permanently in those far-off lands, and while some chose to stay on, others returned home after a short or long stay.