Page:Origin and spread of the Tamils.djvu/46



SPREAD OF TAMIL CULTURE ABROAD 35 gave very largely to the world outside and at the same time took some from it. / The Archipelago was much influenced by India and especially South India, whose relations political and commercial with Sumatra, Bali and Borneo, Malaya, Siam, Java, Champa, Cambodia and others are being today studied in detail. In most of these there was a regular Hindu colonization even before the dawn of the Christian era. It is assumed that the American civilization--the Maya culture should have been influenced by the Archipelago. While we are prepared to admit this, still a recent study entitled Hindu America shows evidences of a direct contact between India and America from very early times. It is said that Mexico 10 still retains much of the Indian social and religious beliefs. The Jatakas refer to Suvarnabhumi in Farther India. The Periplus refers to the activities of the South Indians in the Peninsula, Pubār or Kāveri. pattinam was a busy mart dealing with an equally brisk centre. Kālagam of the Pattinappalai which could be identified with Kațāha, a city of the empire of S'ri Vijaya (S.E. Sumatra). Tondi in Ramnad was an. other emporium of considerable importance. We have definite knowledge of the use of the Pallava script in Java. The Colas maintained diplomatic relations with the Sailendra empire whose capital was in Java in the beginning of the eleventh century. In Siam, now known as Thailand, a Tamil inscription of the 7th century has been found. It refers to the existence of a merchant