Malaysia along with the lands of Cambodia, Myanmar, Sumatra, Java, Thailand, represent a civilisation of great warriors, great wealth, great architecture, noble Kings and beautiful Queens whose recorded history coincide with Buddhism as it spread throughout the lands of South East Asia.

 

The foundations, however, and the reason Buddhism was so easily and readily assimilated was due to the ancient Vedic culture of India which had been present upon these lands for thousands of years and within the National Geographic this Vedic/Buddhist expansion is described as follows.

 

"This was the time of the great Indian expansion, when seafaring merchants fanned out across the Indian Ocean and brought to Southeast Asia a seething ferment of new ideas. From Burma to Indonesia, they established a chain of settlements along the coasts from which they traded for gold, precious stones, perfumes, and spices. The merchants brought with them their religion, Hinduism and Buddhism, their literary language, Sanskrit, their art and technology; and their science and mathematics." Splendours of the Past: Lost Cities of the Ancient World - National Geographic Society. p.186-190).

 

 

Tambralinga was one of the kingdoms of the lands of Malaysia existing from around 1400 years ago and continuing for some 800 years and its name seems to be from 'tamra' whose meaning is 'copper' and 'red' and 'linga' the generative energy of Siva.

 

Tambralinga was a kingdom which was formed of twelve cities which circled and protected its capital 'Nagara Sri Dhamaraj' a name formed of Sanskrit words meaning the city ( nagara ) of the auspicious ( sri ) and righteous ( dharma ) kings ( raj ).

 

These twelve interlinked cities were known as 'naksat' which is simply 'naksatra' a word from Sanskrit meaning that which governs ( ksatra ) the cosmic waters ( na ) and this was their purpose as they encircled, protected and paid tributes to their capital city of 'Nagara Sri Dhamaraj'.

 

 

The twelve cities which formed the lands of Tambralinga have names which have proven to be quite vague though we have the province of 'Narathiwat' whose name is formed from the language of Sanskrit and bears the meaning of the residence ( vat ) of wise ( dhi ) men ( nara ).

 

Tambralinga also has the city of 'Kedah' which was once a Vedic kingdom going back in time some 2000 years and ruled by the Cholas and whose name has corrupted from 'Kadaram' 'Katah Nagara' 'Katah Dvipa' all names from Sanskrit which over time became 'Kedah'.

 

Tambralinga has the city of 'Kraburi' which possesses 'puri' a word from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is 'city' and we also have the cities of 'Kota Gelanggi' 'Kanchanadit' 'Pattani' and 'Pattalung' which all seem to be related to Sanskrit.

 

 

Malaysia also possessed the kingdom of 'Langkasuka' a kingdom which has been said to go back in time some 2000 years and although the meaning of the name is rather vague it is also formed of words from the ancient language of Sanskrit.

 

'Maran Maha Vamsa' was the very first king of Langkasuka and his name is formed of 'maha' meaning 'great' and 'maran' meaning 'death' and 'vamsa' meaning 'dynasty' and although his name is vague these are words from the language of Sanskrit.

 

'Maran Maha Vamsa' was followed by kings whose names were 'Maran Maha Budisat' 'Ganjil Saharjuna' 'Seri Maha Vamsa' 'Seri Maha Indravamsa' and also a Queen named 'Raja Puteri' all of which are formed of words from the language of Sanskrit.

 

 

Malaysia also possessed the kingdom of 'Gangga Negara' a name which is from the ancient language of Sanskrit and whose meaning is 'city ( nagara ) upon the ganges' a name place which is derived from the 'Ganganagara' of Northwest India.

This ancient kingdom of 'Gangga Negara' is said to have been established by a Hindu/buddhist whose name was 'Raja Ganjil Sarjuna' which is composed mainly of words from the language of Sanskrit and his people were known as the Kambujas, a tribe from the lands of Vedic India.

'Gangga Negara' is a Vedic kingdom which goes back in time some 2000 years ago and so at one time Malaysia was simultaneously home to the kingdom of 'Langkasuka' the kingdom of 'Tambralinga' and the kingdom of 'Gangga Negara' three powerful kingdoms which covered most of the lands of Malaysia.

 

 

'Langkawi' resides just off the coast of Malaysia and is one of numerous islands scattered around the Malaysian archipelago and as with much of this part of the world we find it to be connected to the ancient Vedic culture of India and in particular the great epic known as 'Ramayana'.

 

'Langkawi' has been named after the ancient island of 'Sri Lanka' which was once the home of the lord of wealth 'Kuvera' an island of gold which was eventually snatched out of his hands by the wicked king of the Asuras who was known as 'Ravana'.

 

'Langkawi' resides within the 'Andaman Sea' which is named after the great hero of the Ramayana 'Hanuman' and as the Malaysians pronounced it as 'Handuman' it became, over time, to be known as 'Andaman' yet it was known by the Malaysians as 'the island of the Hanuman monkeys'.

 

'Bodgaya' is an island within the Malaysian archipelago whose name has been formed from the language of Sanskrit where its meaning is the place where Guatama attained enlightenment ( budhi ) within Gaya, a famous city within the Indian state of Bihar.

'Berhala' is an island within the Malaysian archipelago whose name is from 'bhattara' a word which has come from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is that which is 'honourable' that which is 'venerable' and that which is the 'noble lord'.

 

'Besar' is an island which can be found within the Malaysian archipelago whose name means 'big island' and this seems to be related to 'visr' a word from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is that which 'extends' and that which 'spreads out'.

 

 

'Gaya' is an island which resides within the Malaysian archipelago and its name which is from the language of Sanskrit bears the meaning of 'house' 'property' 'abode' its the second island within Malaysia named 'Gaya' the other being 'Bodgaya'.

 

'Kapas' is an island within the Malaysian archipelago whose meaning is 'cotton island' and the source of this name is 'karpasa' a word from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is that which is 'cotton' that which is a 'cotton tree' and that which is 'cotton wool'.

 

'Jarak' is an island within the Malaysian archipelago whose name is from the language of Malay meaning 'distance' and the origin of this word is 'jara' a word from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is that which is 'aged' and that which is 'old'.

 

 

'Singapore' is an island which resides around the southern tip of Malaysia and probably the worlds only city/state/island and we find that its name has been formed from the language of Sanskrit where its meaning is the lion ( simha ) city ( puri ).

 

'Narcondam' is a volcanic island within the Malaysian archipelago whose name has been formed from the ancient language of Sanskrit where its meaning is the pits ( kunda ) of hell ( naraka ) and this seems to be an appropriate name for a volcanic island.

'Lankayan' is an island which resides within the Malaysian archipelago and seems to be related to the island of 'Sri Lanka' just as we have the island of 'Langkawi' and within the country of Malaysia itself the kingdom of 'Langkasuka' all reflecting the influence of Sri Lanka and in particular the culture of the Indian epic known as the 'Ramayana'.

 

 

'Sakar' is an island within the Malaysian archipelago which seems to be from the language of Malay meaning 'sugar' and this finds its origin within 'sarkara' a word from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is that which is 'gravelly' and that which is 'sugar'.

 

'Tabawan' is an island within the Malaysian archipelago which is heavily forested hence the 'wan' may be 'van' a prefix from the language of Sanskrit meaning 'forest' and a word very similar to 'tapavan' a word from Sanskrit meaning the forest ( vana ) of austerities ( tapa ) a speculation worth mentioning as no-one knows what Tabawan means.

 

'Pisang' is an island within the Malaysian archipelago whose name is from the language of Malay meaning 'banana' and its interesting that within the language of Sanskrit we find that the word 'pisang' means 'yellow' which could very well be the origin of this word.

 

 

Malay is a language in which a large percentage of its words are from Sanskrit as in their word for King which is 'marharaj' their word for Queen is 'maharani' their word for Prince is 'putera raja' their word for Princess is 'puteri' their word for palace is 'istana' and their word for crown is 'makhota'.

 

Their word for warrior is 'ksatriya' their word for knight is 'satria' their word for soldier is 'askar' their word for admiral is 'lakshmana' and their word for army and military is 'tentera' all words which have their origin within the language of Sanskrit.

 

”From Persia to the Chinese Sea, from the icy regions of Siberia to the islands of Java and Borneo, from Oceania to Socotra, India has propagated her beliefs, her tales, and her civilization. She has left indelible imprints on one-fourth of the human race in the course of a long succession of centuries.” Sylvain Levy, the famous French Indologist.

 

Their word for the Sun is 'Surya' their word for the wind is 'bayu' their word for the earth is 'bumi' their word for the world is 'loka' their word for hell is 'neraka' their word for the ocean is 'samudra' and their word for heaven is 'surga'.

 

Their word for teacher is 'guru' their word for culture is 'budaya' their word for wise is 'budiman' their word for scholar is 'sarjana' their word for student is 'pelajar' their word for clever is 'pandai' their word for literature is 'sastera' their word for language is 'bahasa' and their word for grammar is 'tatabahasa' all words from the language of Sanskrit.

“Looking at the cultures of the peoples of Asia in general and south east Asia in particular, the awareness grows upon us that what we see in Burma or Siam or Indonesia is but an extension of Indian culture – they could be legitimately called a Greater India.” Wilhelm Von Humboldt (1767-1835) German Indologist, Prussian minister of education, a brilliant linguist and the founder of the science of general linguistics.

 

 

Their word for lion is 'simha' their word for elephant is 'gajah' their word for goose is 'angsa' their word for man is 'manusia' their word for flower is 'puspa' their word for insect is 'serangga' their word for wolf is 'serigala' and their word for swan is 'angsa'.

Their word for love is 'cinta' their word for happy is 'bahagia' their word for cheerful is 'ceria' their word for victory is 'jaya' their word for adore is 'suka' their word for praise is 'pujian' and their word for blessing is 'restu' all words which have their origin with the language of Sanskrit.

 

"The Old Malay system is greatly influenced by Sanskrit scriptures in terms of phonemes, morphemes, vocabulary and the characteristics of scholarship, particularly when the words are closely related to Indian culture such as puja, kesatria, maharaja and raja, as well as on the Hindu-Buddhist religion such as dosa, pahala, neraka, syurga or surga ( used in Indonesia-which was based off of Malay ) puasa, sami and biara, which lasts until today." Wiki.

 

 

Their word for light is 'cahaya' their word for space is 'angkasa' their word for eclipse is 'gerhana' their word for pearl is 'mutiara' their word for sapphire is 'nilam' their word for essence is 'intipati' their word for colour is 'warna' and their word for atmosphere is 'suarsana'.

Their word for religion is 'agama' their word for hostel is 'asrama' their word for devotion is 'kebaktian' their word for nation is 'bangsa' and 'negara' their word for monastery is 'biara' their word for state is 'negeri' and their word for everything is 'segala' all words which have their origin within the ancient language of Sanskrit.

 

"Old Malay ( 6th century to 15th century ) is a formal language that is based heavily on Sanskrit. Various inscriptions were found in South Sumatera by the Tatang River on stone tablets dated between 682 – 689 AD." Author Kathleen Fernandez.