Traces of Buddhism in Sumatra: an archaeological perspective

Sumatra was influenced by Indian culture from the 6^th century AD onwards. The kingdom of Srivijaya became an important centre of Buddhism. There are various archaeological traces of the development of Buddhism in Sumatra from the 7^th to the 14^th century AD, such as inscriptions, religious buildings and bronze and stone sculptures. Many of these artefacts have a Tantric character, which corresponds to parallel developments in East Java. Tantric Buddhism reached Sumatra already during the 7^th century AD.