The ancient
India was not much larger than the current state. In Śrīmad Bhāgavat 9.23.5-6
six provinces (viṣayān) are mentioned
in the east (prācyakam) of Bhārata
varṣa – Aṅga (the kingdom of Karṇa, now Bihar), Baṅga (west- and east-Bengal,
of which the east is now a separate enclave inside India) and Kaliṅga (now
Orissa). The six sons of Dīrghatamā became kings of the six provinces named
after them.
aṅga-vaṅga-kaliṅgādyāḥ
suhma-puṇḍrauḍra-saṁjñitāḥ
jajñire dīrghatamaso
baleḥ kṣetre
mahīkṣitaḥ
cakruḥ
sva-nāmnā viṣayān
ṣaḍ imān
prācyakāṁś ca te
Jīva Goswāmī and Viśvanātha Cakravartī comment:
viṣayān deśān | prācyakān bhārata varṣasya
pūrva-dig-vartinaḥ
« viṣayān
means country or region, and prācyakān means on the eastern side of Bhārata
Varṣa. »
So it is not that
ancient India spread out to Vietnam or Indonesia and Vedic culture is now
somehow lost there.
Also it is
interesting that both Pāṇḍava-brides, Uttarā (princess of Matsya) and Draupadī
(princess of Pancāla) came from close to Vraja.
Perhaps Southeast Asia was not directly a part of India but there is a ton of evidence that they were part of the Vedic culture. Angkor Watt is the world's largest remaining hindu temple, in Cambodia. Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, they all have their own version of the Ramayana. Singha pur, aka Singapore, was most likely part of it too as well as Malaysia and Indonesia.
ReplyDeleteAs Buddhism and Islam spread, the influence of the Vedic dharma became less and less.
Perhaps Angkor Watt and Bali were outposts founded by explorers or traders.
ReplyDeleteRadhe Radhe
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