Southeast Asian Scripts

[nas_ng at lms420.jsc.nasa.gov]

      South India and South East Asia
     *********************************

There are hundreds of articles and quite a few books on the ancient
relations between South India and South East Asia.
In addition to Southeast Asian scripts, I believe Kannada and 
Telugu scripts developed out of Pallava grantha script. 
A Burmese person or a Cambodian can recognize most of 
Telugu or Kannada characters.

Sculptures of Karaikkal Ammaiyar, a Tamil Saiva Saint,
are found in Khmer temples. Manimekalalai (6th century?) is 
a Buddhist epic in Tamil. Munimekala dance is still alive in Cambodia.
Tiruppavai and Tiruvempavai songs from 9th century are
sung during the coronation of Thai kings. South Indian folk
Ramayana versions are found in Indonesia and mainland nations.

Works of Jean Filliozat, K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, H. B. Sarkar,
K. R. Hall, G. W. Spencer, P. Wheatley etc., are notewothy in
this connection.

K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, South India and South East Asia: Studies
in their history and culture.
Mysore, 1978

K. A. N. Sastri, South Indian influenze in the Far East,
Bombay, 1949

J. Filliozat, Research in South-east Asia and in the Far East,
Proceedings of the First International  Conference-Seminar of Tamil
Studies. Kulalalumpur, 1966, p. 7-12

P. Shanmugam, Two Tamil coins of Tamil origin from Thailand,
Studies in South Indian coins, vol. 4, 1994, p. 95-100

Paul Wheatley, The Mount of the Gods, A note on the Tamil cultural 
influenze in fifth century Indochina
Oriens Extremus, v. 21, no. 1, 1974, p. 97-109

Chulongkorn, Phraratchaphithi triyamphawai-tripawai,
Bangkok, 1934, 51 p.

K. R. Hall, Maritime trade and state development in Southeast Asia.
Hawaii, 1985

T. N. Subramaniyam, Pallavas of Kanchi in Southeast Asia, 1968, Madras.

and many more ..


N. Ganesan