India, Feb. 21 -- Being two of the largest democracies in the world, people-to-people (P2P) ties form a significant aspect of the India-Indonesia relationship. India's P2P linkages with Indonesia-and Southeast Asia, in general-date back to pre-historic times. The movement of traders, merchants, scholars, religious leaders, and migrants from India to Indonesia has historically shaped their interactions. The cultural and civilisational influence was so profound that French scholar George Coedes referred to it as the "Indianisation of Southeast Asia."

Shared cultural and civilisational linkages continue to be a crucial foundation for P2P ties between India and Indonesia. Hinduism, Buddhism, and later Islam spread from India to the Indonesia...