PETALING JAYA: Was Buddhism ever widely practised in ancient Malaysia or were the Buddhist structures found in Kedah simply built for foreign traders?
That question has lingered since the discovery of a centuries-old Buddhist temple at Bukit Choras, a remote archaeological site in the Bujang Valley, more than a year ago.
Universiti Sains Malaysia lead archaeologist Assoc Prof Dr Nasha Rodziadi Khaw said the reality was “far more complex than a simple yes or no”.
He added that the discovery of a single temple did not automatically mean Buddhism was widely practised locally.
“The presence of Buddhist or Hindu temples in parts of the Bujang Valley undoubtedly shows there were Hindu and Buddhist communities living or operating there. At the same time, we must remember that the Bujang Valley was a major trade hub. Temples may have been built not only for locals, but also to serve the spiritual needs of traders, sailors and other transient communities,” he told theSun in an email interview.
Nasha said the historical landscape of ancient Kedah, particularly in the Bujang Valley, was far from uniform, with multiple groups living side by side.
“We had foreign traders, but also local communities with varying levels of interaction with outside cultures. Their acceptance of Indian religious and cultural influences would have depended on socio-economic background, local environment and the nature of their ties with foreign traders,” he said.
The Bukit Choras site contains the remains of a Buddhist stupa built from laterite blocks.
Its architecture reflects Indian and Southeast Asian influences, but the use of local materials and likely local labour points to integration rather than import.
“What is striking is the distribution pattern. Most religious sites cluster around the Bujang Valley’s economic and coastal hubs, such as Sungai Muda, Sungai Bujang, Sungai Batu and Bukit Choras, rather than being scattered across the wider Malay Peninsula. This suggests Hindu-Buddhist influence was largely localised in the Bujang Valley, and perhaps in other coastal or riverine settlements, rather than being universal across the region.”
He said the find reshaped understanding of Malaysia’s links with ancient Southeast Asian civilisations.
Far from being a marginal site, the Bujang Valley was a thriving centre of trade, religion and cultural exchange.
He added that the findings showed early Malaysia was not culturally isolated but a hub where global and local traditions converged.