Article
Legacy of Shaivism and Vaishnavism in Southeast Asia 

By : Saudiptendu Ray

Page No: 114-140

Abstract
This article examines the deep and enduring influence of Shaivism and Vaishnavism across Southeast Asia from the early centuries of the Common Era to the medieval period. Drawing on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary evidence, it traces the transmission of Indic religious ideas through maritime trade networks across the Bay of Bengal. The article highlights a gradual assimilation in which Southeast Asian polities integrated elements of Indian religious traditions into existing animist and royal cults. The study emphasises the construction of monumental temples, localisation of Sanskrit epics, and development of syncretic forms such as the Harihara and Devaraja cults, while focusing on Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Architectural complexes such as Angkor Wat, Mỹ Sơn, Prambanan, Vat Phou, and Nathlaung Kyaung demonstrate how Shaiva Vaishnava cosmology shaped political ideology and sacred landscapes, forging a civilisational continuum between India and Southeast Asia.

Author
Saudiptendu Ray is a Research Associate at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF). His research focuses on India’s culture and civilisation. He has a master’s degree in Modern Indian History from the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Delhi and a master’s in Museology from the National Museum Institute, New Delhi.
 

DOI: http://doi.org/10.32381/NS.2026.09.01.7