The first volume of Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East, dealing with the colony of Champa, was published in 1927. Various causes have delayed the publication of the second volume. One of them, is a change in the planning of the different volumes. Originally I had intended to deal with the history of Kamboja (Cambodia) in the second volume. As the wonderful monuments of this kingdom were to constitute an important part of the volume, I paid a visit to Cambodia in order to obtain a first-hand knowledge of them. There, in my conversation with the Arachnological authorities, I came to learn for the first time that many novel theories were being advanced regarding the age and chronological sequence of the monuments of Angkor Thom. I was advised to put off the publication of my book until these had been fully explored. Acting upon this advice I took up the history of Malayasia which was to have formed the third volume. My knowledge of Dutch being very poor at the time, I had to spend a long time in mastering the contents of relevant books and Journals which are mostly written in that language. Hence it has taken me nearly nine years to prepare and bring this volume before the public. The interval between the first and the second volume has further been prolonged by several urgent pre-occupations.

It is needless to dilate on the difficulty of working on the subject in India, without any possible help or advice from any competent authority, and without any adequate library. It would be hardly an exaggeration to say that the small collection of books on the subject, which I have patiently acquired for Dacca University during the last seven years, is the best in India, but it is still very far from being adequate or satisfactory. The study of the Indian Colonisation in the Far Fast is still at its very infancy in this country.

I propose to deal in this volume with the Hindu colonisation in Malay Peninsula and the Malay Archipelago. For this entire region, now known as Malayasia, I have used the name Savarpadvipa. My authority for the use of this Indian name in this wide sense is set forth in Chapter IV. In this volume I have followed the same plan as was adopted in the case of the earlier volume on Champa. I have tried to bring together such information as we possess of the political history of the different regions constituting Suvargadvipa, and have also dealt with the various aspects of civilisation of their people, religion, literature, law and administration, social and economic conditions, and art. I have not discussed such general themes as the nature of Indian civilisation, the influence of the Pallavas or of South India on the civilisation of Sumatra and Java, the origin of art and alphabet of these regions, and similar other questions which are pertinent to the subject. These will be discussed in a subsequent volume.

Although Suvarnadvipa is a mere geographical expression and a congeries of states, it came to be on two occasions, at least, almost a political entity. First, under the Sailendra kings from the end of the eighth to the beginning of the eleventh century A.D., and, secondly, in the palmy days of the Empire of Majapahit. Even in other periods, there has almost always been a close political relationship, be it friendly or hostile, between its constituent parts, such as we do not meet with between any of them and the outside world. Even now the predominance of the Malay-speaking people all over the area serves as a bond of unity, which is also artificially maintained to a large extent by common subjection to the Dutch. These considerations would be a further justification of the choice of Suvarnadvipa as a historical unit.