Ancient Indian Colonization in South-East Asia c9.13

c9.13

This dynasty, known as the Śailendras, played the dominant role in the politics of this region for nearly five hundred years, and as such deserves a careful study. Fortunately, we possess a great deal of information about them from epigraphic records found in India, Java and Malay Peninsula, and also from the accounts of Arab and Chinese writers. There are, however, some doubts and uncertainties in regard to the interpretation of this multifarious evidence, which have given rise to a voluminous discussion, and a vast literature has grown up on this subject during the last twenty-five years. It is not possible here to enter into a full discussion of this question, but a short recapitulation of the main disputed points is necessary for a proper understanding of the subject.