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Quote by William Dalrymple

“Whatever their DNA contribution to the region, the Brahmins did bring with them from India three crucial gifts that proved irresistible right across the region: Sanskrit, the art of writing and the stories of the great Indian epics. No Indian import had a deeper or more long-lasting impact than the deeds of the heroes of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. From the fifth century, right on through to the dance and shadow puppetry of the present day, these would remain a major feature in the art and culture of South-east Asia.26 In time, even the landscape of South-east Asia began to be renamed under the influence of the great epics and the stories of their respective heroes, the Pandava brothers and Lord Rama. The earliest inscription in Khmer territories dating from the fifth century records that a ruler in what is now Laos took the Indic name Devanika and the grandiose Sanskrit title Maharajadhiraja, ‘King of Kings’. This happened during a ceremony when the King installed an image of Shiva under the lingam-shaped mountain that towered over his capital of Champasak. There he consecrated a tank which he named Kurukshetra, after the plain to the north of Delhi where the great battle of the Mahabharata was fought”

Quote by William Dalrymple

Book:The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World
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The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World

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William Dalrymple
William Dalrymple

William Dalrymple, born on March 20, 1965, is a renowned historian specializing in the history and culture of the Indian subcontinent, particularly the Mughal Empire of the 17th and 18th centuries. His works are known for their in-depth historical research and engaging narrative style. more

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