MALAYSIA TRAVEL GUIDE
A Comprehensive Guide to Travelling Around Malaysia
Situated between Asia' ancient civilisations of China and India, their destiny was shaped by the ebb and flow of the convergent sea trade of those two mighty nations.
All the various states in Malaysia will be covered in the later chapters in more detailed.
Early Empires
Although little is known about the Funans, Chinese travellers of the 3rd century record them as powerful overlords of the region.
Based in southern Sumatra, this Buddhist empire controlled the entire Malacca Straits, Java and southern Borneo.
Under the protection of the Srivijayans, a significant Malay trading state grew in the Bujang Valley of Kedah. Relics of temple complexes that house both Buddhist and Hindu artefacts are still being excavated and provide a reminder of the Hindu Buddhist era in the Malay Peninsula.
New kingdoms in Thailand and the growth of the Hindu Majapahit empire of Java finally led to the demise of the Srivijayan in the 14th century.