2?

Thus we find that already in the eighth century,
there Lad existed an intercourse between Siam and
India. The Indian merchants used to come to trade
with Siam and settle in colonies in Siara. They also
established temples of Visnu and other Indian culture
and civilisation began to spread over Siam.

Indians had come and settled in Camboja even
before this age. With the coming in of the Indians,
who brought with them a highly developed civilisa-
tion, the whole face of Indo-China began to change.
The penetration of the Hindu Civilisation, was pro-
gressive and pacific.

How did the Indians come over to Siam ? What
route did they follow ? With their keen commercial
instinct, they found out two routes, one by land, and
the other by sea. By land they would pass through
Assam and Burma gradually into Indo-China. By
sea, they would easily approach Java, Bali, Sumatra
and other islands of Indian archipelago, from where
they could advance towards the mainland of the Malay
Peninsula. Their first establishment was fixed in
Burma and the other at Ligor in the Gulf of Siam.
From there they went to Siam and Camboja. This
Ligor, Sri-Dharma-raja-nagara of the Hindus, occupies
an important place in the local tradition.1

As Siam has no separate existence in the early
centuries of the Christian Era, we must refer to the

1. Le Siam Ancien—L. Fournereau, I, p. 49.