How Ancient India Influenced Asia and Beyond: The Golden Road Revealed

Imagine a time when intellectual and cultural treasures traveled as freely as spices, gems, and silk. A time when India wasn’t merely a land of spirituality but the beating heart of a cultural and intellectual exchange that transformed the entire Asian world. In his book The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World, William Dalrymple unravels how India, from the 3rd century BC to the 12th century CE, wasn’t just a passive bystander in history but a key player, shaping civilizations far beyond its borders. Through religion, science, language, art, and trade, India’s influence spread far and wide, creating a legacy that resonates even today.

Dalrymple’s central thesis presents ancient India as the intellectual and cultural epicenter of Asia. Much like Greece’s influence on Rome and the Western world, India became the axis around which much of Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and China revolved. This wasn’t merely due to India’s land or riches but because of its cultural wealth, which traveled through trade routes that spanned vast distances.

India’s strategic location and bustling ports were vital to the exchange of goods and ideas. Ancient India wasn’t isolated from the world—it was, in fact, a central node in the vibrant trade networks connecting regions across Asia and beyond. Through the “Golden Road” of trade, these goods didn’t only travel; so did ideas, philosophies, and innovations.
One of India’s most significant contributions to the world is the spread of its religious ideas, especially Buddhism and Hinduism. Buddhism, which originated in India in the 5th century BCE, traveled along the Silk Road and maritime routes, influencing vast swathes of Asia. Dalrymple highlights the role of Buddhism in shaping the cultures of Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and even reaching China.

The Borobudur Temple in Indonesia, a masterpiece of Buddhist architecture, is a vivid testament to this cultural and religious exchange. In Southeast Asia, the influence of India’s Hinduism and Buddhism is etched into the landscapes—temples like Angkor Wat in Cambodia stand as magnificent symbols of India’s religious legacy.

Buddhism’s philosophical tenets, especially the ideas surrounding suffering, impermanence, and the path to enlightenment, resonated with diverse cultures. Hinduism, with its pantheon of gods and intricate rituals, also found fertile ground in Southeast Asia, influencing art, statecraft, and daily life. Hindu temples across Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia are testaments to India’s spiritual and cultural footprint.

India’s linguistic and literary influence spread far beyond its borders, with Sanskrit as the medium through which much of Southeast Asia communicated intellectually and spiritually. Dalrymple delves into how Sanskrit became the lingua franca of the region, particularly in kingdoms like Srivijaya and the Khmer Empire.

The Ramayana and Mahabharata, India’s two great epics, traveled eastward, being reinterpreted and adopted in local contexts. In Thailand, the Ramayana became the Ramakien, while in Indonesia, it influenced traditional Wayang Kulit performances (shadow puppetry). These stories, brimming with lessons on heroism, ethics, and the divine, became core to Southeast Asian cultural identities.

Beyond the epics, Sanskrit also shaped regional scripts and languages. Several Southeast Asian languages, including Thai, Cambodian, and Javanese, adopted the Brahmi script, which originated in India. Dalrymple’s narrative reveals how India’s written word became the foundation for much of the region’s intellectual output.

While spiritual teachings from India have long been celebrated, the country’s contributions to science, mathematics, and astronomy were equally profound. India’s intellectual prowess played a vital role in shaping not only the Asian world but also Europe.

India’s invention of the concept of zero and the decimal system is one of its most lasting legacies. Indian mathematicians like Aryabhata and Brahmagupta developed sophisticated mathematical concepts that laid the groundwork for future advances in the Arab world and later Europe. Dalrymple traces how Indian texts on mathematics, written in Sanskrit, were translated into Arabic, making their way into Europe, where they sparked the European Renaissance.

Indian astronomers also made groundbreaking advances. They accurately calculated the length of the solar year and had a comprehensive understanding of planetary motions, centuries before European astronomers. These astronomical insights spread westward through Islamic scholars, eventually influencing European scientific thought.

Additionally, India’s medical knowledge was advanced, with texts like the Sushruta Samhita detailing complex surgeries and treatments. These practices were adopted by physicians in the Islamic world and eventually made their way to Europe.

India’s position at the center of the ancient world’s trade routes allowed it to be both a catalyst and conduit for cultural exchange. The Indian Ocean became one of the busiest maritime routes in the ancient world, connecting ports in India, Africa, Arabia, and Southeast Asia. Goods such as spices, textiles, and gemstones were exchanged, but equally important were the ideas, philosophies, and religious practices that traveled along these routes.

Dalrymple explores how bustling trade cities like Bharuch and Arikamedu acted as melting pots where scholars, merchants, and travelers exchanged knowledge just as easily as they did commodities. India was not only a producer of goods but also of ideas, which were carried across Asia by traders, monks, and travelers.

The Silk Road and the Indian Ocean trade routes were arteries of a cultural exchange that spanned thousands of miles, making India a key player in the ancient world’s intellectual and cultural landscape. Through these interactions, Indian philosophy, religion, and scientific knowledge traveled far and wide, shaping the societies they touched.
India’s artistic and architectural influence also stretched far beyond its borders. Indian art, particularly in the form of sculpture and religious imagery, played a key role in the development of art in Southeast Asia. Indian-style temples and palaces, with their intricate carvings and monumental proportions, became templates for architectural development across Southeast Asia.

The most notable example is Angkor Wat, originally a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, which later became a Buddhist complex. The architectural style of these temples, with their vast courtyards, towering spires, and detailed bas-reliefs, was directly influenced by Indian traditions. These influences can also be seen in the Buddhist cave temples at Ajanta and Ellora in India, which inspired the monumental architecture of Southeast Asian temples.
In The Golden Road, William Dalrymple paints a vivid picture of how India’s cultural, religious, and intellectual influence stretched far beyond its borders, shaping civilizations across Asia and beyond. Through trade, religion, language, science, and art, India’s ancient legacy helped forge a world that was interconnected and interdependent.

Dalrymple’s exploration of this period reminds us that the ancient world wasn’t a collection of isolated cultures but a vast, interconnected web of exchanges and influences. India, as the epicenter of this network, transformed the cultural and intellectual landscape of Asia, leaving behind a lasting legacy that continues to resonate today. This “Golden Road,” through which ideas and innovations traveled, not only helped shape ancient civilizations but laid the foundation for the modern world we know.