Bujang Valley: The Wonder that was Ancient Kedah unveils archaeological site of an ancient civilization of Kedah that is much older than the Malacca Sultanate.
Persistent archaeological research eventually provided convincing information that the kingdom of Kedah indeed preceded Malacca despite the fact that is now argued by some that Malacca was founded as early as 1262 A.D. But more recent archaeological research reveals that ancient Kedah, known then as Kadaram, is believed to have existed not later that the 5th century A.D. Certainly the existence of Bujang Valley is found in the writings of Chinese traveler I-Tsing, who actually stopped at Kedah in the 7th century while waiting for a ship to take him to India.
It is now claimed that the ancient civilization of Kedah was not just older than that of Sri Vijaya (centered at Palembang) and Majapahit (centered on Java) but it is also older than the famous Angkor Wat (centered on Cambodia) which was built in the 12th century.
This book, for the first time, showcases more than 100 photographs of Bujang Valley. Readers can share this photographic journey of ancient history of Malaysia yet unknown to most Malaysians. What this book aims to achieve is merely to share the magnificent history of Bujang Valley in a simple factual manner to understand our glorious historical heritage. It is an overview of the history, archaeology and artifacts of Bujang Valley
Table of Contents
Introduction: Indianization of Southeast Asia
Bujang Valley Literary Sources
Bujang Valley Archaeological Evidence
The Wave Theory of Indianization
Transpeninsular Trade Route
Shift of Civilization
Bujang Valley Archaeology Museum
More Artefacts of Bujang Valley
Conclusion
About the Author
Dato’ V. Nadarajan is a B.A (Hons) and Diploma-in-Education graduate of University of Malaya. He was a history teacher for 10 years. He furthered his studies in Law, obtaining a LLB (Hons) degree from the university of Buckingham and Barrister-at-Law from Lincoln’s Inn, London. He is presently an Advocate & Solicitor.
His interest and fascination with Bujang Valley started in 1961 when his then secondary school history teacher, Syed Abu Bakar Barakhbar, revealed the discovery of an ancient Indian temple near Merbok, dating back to circa 7th Century CE. This book is the culmination of his life interest.
