The Indianized States of South-East Asia

In his editor’s note, Walter Vella states that this classic text “has been universally acclaimed and—the surest proof of its impact—heavily relied on by all later scholars. . . . [It] remains the basic text for those who seek to understand Southeast Asia—not only its ancient past, but also its immediate present—for the Southeast Asia of today cannot be understood without a knowledge of the traditional values and institutions, which remain vital, and which present leaders seem increasingly to esteem as a guide to the future.”

Recognized as the unchallenged dean of Southeast Asian classical scholarship, George Cœdès wrote for both specialists and the general public. From a lifetime of study of Chinese, Arabian, and European chronicles, and from deciphering ancient annals and inscriptions, Cœdès has traced the story of India’s expansion that is woven into the culture of Southeast Asia. It was Cœdès who revealed the existence and importance of the ancient state of Śrīvijaya in southern Sumatra, and insight into classical Khmer civilization rests upon his epigraphic research in Cambodia. In this volume are the synthesized results of these and other studies, culminating sixty years of research.