This book provides an overview of the Indianised kingdoms in premodern Southeast Asia. Pulling together multiple secondary sources, it studies the kingdoms in the Malay Archipelago, such as Langkasuka, one of the oldest kingdoms located on the cross-roads between India and China. It also examines kingdoms in greater Southeast Asia, including Chola, Srivijaya, Funan, Champa, Sailendra, Majapahit, Angkor and Ayutthaya, detailing how they all had connections with the kingdoms of the Malay Archipelago aforementioned. Sparked by a traveller’s curiosity, the book captures some of the ongoing efforts in uncovering the history of this period, and addresses a dearth in Malaysia’s often Malacca-centric historiography.
DEVINDER RAJ grew up in Melaka, he attended Malacca High School and graduated from the University of Malaya. He has worked as a teacher, an English Language Officer at the Ministry of Education, at the British Council in Kuala Lumpur, the Beijing INTI Management College, as a volunteer at the National University of Laos and as an External Verifier for City & Guilds.His interest in history was sparked after visiting ancient sites in Southeast Asia and finding links many of them had with the Malay Kingdom.