Ancient Indian Colonization in South-East Asia c9.94

c9.94

To the north of Siam lies the extensive territory now known as Burma. The early colonization of the Hindus in this region has been referred to above. In the ninth or tenth century A.D. there were three powerful States in Burma. Rāmaññadeśa, the country of the Raman or the Mon as they are called to-day, comprising the whole of Lower Burma, Tavoy, Mergui and Tennasserim, was the most powerful of these and was something like a federation of states such as Rāmāvatī, Haṁsāvatī, Śrīkṣetra, Dvāravatī etc. It was a strong centre of Hindu civilization and contained a large number of famous Hindu colonies. To the north of this state lay Pagan or Arimardanapura in Upper Burma, along the valleys of the Irawaddy and the Chindwin. Still further to the north and north-east, along the valleys of the Upper Irawaddy and the Salween lay a number of Thai states which were often federated together and designated as Kauśāmbī.