Contributed articles.
The book approaches the subject of Asian cultural interactions during the pre-modern and early modern periods through the prism of politics, art, religion, and trade. By bringing together these inter-related aspects of cultural encounters, it explores the complex connected histories of the Asian people in a comprehensive manner.

Suitable for: This book will be of considerable interest to scholars and students of Indian history, history of South Asia, and social and cultural studies.

Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Foreword by Kapila Vatsyayan ix
Introduction by Upinder Singh and Parul Pandya Dhar xiii
Changing Perspectives 001
1. The Concept of Cultural Convergence Revisited: Reflections on India's Early Influence in Southeast Asia by Hermann Kulke
2. Ming China's Violence Against Neighbouring Polities and Its Representation in Chinese Historiography by Geoff Wade
Political Connectivities and Conflicts 043
3. Gifts from Other Lands: Southeast Asian Religious Endowments in India by Upinder Singh
4. Changing Regimes: Two Episodes of Chinese Military Interventions in Medieval South Asia by Tansen Sen
5. An Inconvenient Heritage: The Central Asian Background of the Delhi Sultans by Sunil Kumar
Religion, Rituals, and Monuments 109
6. Buddhism, Art, and Ritual Practice: Ðô`ng Duong at the Intersection of Asian Cultures by Parul Pandya Dhar
7. Durga and Siva at Banteay Srei: Blurring Boundaries between Monument, Image and Practice
by Soumya James
Trade, Icons, and Artefacts 159
8. Sri Lanka and Maritime Trade: Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara as the Protector of Mariners by Osmund Bopearachchi
9. Viewing our Shared Past through Buddhist Votive Tablets across Eastern India, Bangladesh and Peninsular Thailand by Suchandra Ghosh
10. Early Modern Indian Carpets as Media for Cross-cultural Interaction by Yumiko Kamada
About the Editors and Contributors 225

Index 228