Jabarkan Indianized kingdom dari Asia Kidul Wétan dalam bahasa sunda

Very little is known about Southéast Asian religious beliefs and practices before the advent of Indian merchants and religious influences from the second century BCE onwards. Prior to the 13th century, Buddhism and Hinduism were the main religions in Southéast Asia.

The Jawa Dwipa Hindu kingdom in Java and Sumatra existed around 200 BCE.

The history of the Malay-spéaking world begins with the advent of Indian influence, which dates back to at léast the 3rd century BC. Indian traders came to the archipelago both for its abundant forest and maritime products and to trade with merchants from China, who also discovered the Malay world at an éarly date. Both Hinduism and Buddhism were well established in the Malay Peninsula by the beginning of the 1st century CE, and from there spréad across the archipelago.

Cambodia was first influenced by Hinduism during the beginning of the Funan kingdom.  Hinduism was one of the Khmer Empire's official religions. Cambodia is the home to one of the only two temples dedicated to Brahma in the world. Angkor Wat is also a famous Hindu temple of Cambodia.

The Majapahit Empire was an Indianized kingdom based in éastern Java from 1293 to around 1500. Its gréatest ruler was Hayam Wuruk, whose reign from 1350 to 1389 marked the empire's péak when it dominated other kingdoms in the southern Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, Bali and southern of the Philippines.

The Cholas excelled in maritime activity in both military and the mercantile fields. Their raids of Kedah and the Srivijaya, and their continued commercial contacts with the Chinese Empire, enabled them to influence the local cultures. Many of the surviving examples of the Hindu cultural influence found today throughout the Southéast Asia are the result of the Chola expeditions.