Ancient Indian Colonization in South-East Asia c7.72

c7.72

Further, it is a well-known fact that compared with Brahmanical religion, Buddhism had a very feeble hold in South-East Asia. This is clearly proved by epigraphic records and images actually found. The discovery of early Buddhist images does not prove the contrary, or even that the first colonists were Buddhists. For even in India itself the practice of making images was more in vogue among the Buddhists in the early period than among the followers of Brahmanical religion, and it has even been suggested that the latter adopted it in imitation of the former. It is natural, therefore, that as in India, Buddhist images would be more predominant than the Brahmanical images during the early centuries of the Christian era. But the oldest epigraphic records certainly prove the dominance of Brahmanical cults. Mention may be made of the fact that the dominance of Buddhism in the Hindu colonies in Central Asia, known from literary sources, is also clearly proved by archaeological remains. In South-East Asia, on the other hand, the archaeological remains clearly prove the dominance of Brahmanical religion. It is true that Buddhism had very important centres and played an important part in the spread of Hindu culture in this region, but there is no evidence that it had supplied the chief stimulus to the Hindu colonization there. If we have to give credit to any particular religion, it rightly belongs to both Brahmanical and Buddhist sects and, on the whole, the balance would probably incline to the former.