Not exactly relevant to the Early Buddhist Texts, but perhaps to the history of Buddhism in Southeast Asia. The “Kingdom of Funan” seems to have been a massive Indianized Kingdom basically covering the entirety of Southeast Asia around the 6th century CE or earlier. The Kingdom is attested to in some Chinese histories and there is some limited archaeological evidence.
Anyone here know much on the subject? Very interesting on it’s own and even moreso because apparently not much is known — lending to an “air of mystery”.
Indeed! It seems Funan was the first major introduction of Indian culture in the region, originally Hindu, later Buddhism (Sanskrit, probably Mahayana). Wikipedia has a nice read on the subject.
