Propitiatory Rituals and Ex-votos Along the Coasts of South-east Asia: New Data and Interpretations

Pierre-Yves Manguin

Several first millennium CE inscriptions from Kedah, known for some time, bear witness to propitiatory rituals practised by seafarers in South-East Asia. A number of coastal sites, both well-known and newly discovered, lend themselves to similar interpretations, illustrating the ritual practices of the region’s seafarers and revealing a new geography of the sacred. Archaeological and textual sources dating from medieval or modern times will be presented to support this interpretation.